


Superman's Best Friend

by BattlingBard



Series: A Super Journey [10]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angry Kara Danvers, Angst, Danvers Sisters, Drama, F/F, Favorite, Fighting, First Kiss, Guest Stars, Making Up, THIS IS THE ONE, dcu - Freeform, making amends, villain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-26 03:32:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 62,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10778673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard
Summary: Lena straightens her spine, and raises her chin with her expression blank. “I don’t appreciate last minute appointments being made under false pretenses.” Her hands fold together on her desk. How did Jess allow this?An irritating chuckle escapes her very unwelcomed guest. The CEO’s eyes slightly narrow, and she leans forward on her forearms. “I’m sure you can make an exception for me.” Lena’s eyebrow quirks a little. “Ooo, we’re snippy, aren’t we?” The intruder’s voice is amused.Someone new has come to National City with a game plan in mind. How will Supergirl handle all of the problems this guest brings?





	1. Recap

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest one yet! I'm actually posting it before having finished it! Ah! But it's so much fun to write! Definitely has a "Justice League Unlimited" meets season 1 of "Supergirl" vibe!
> 
> After giving it much thought and research into other fics... I've decided to go back and shorten chapters. I've divided up my chapters into 2-4 parts depending on where it works. That will also give me some time to do other things, since I am falling behind on writing. The support and feedback y'all have given has given me a push to at least not stop anytime soon. I will at the very least write out all of the ones I have planned. I will likely take a hiatus of my own after that. It will be like a real show. :) Thoughts?

**Previously on Supergirl…**

Lena pushes her hair behind her ear as she turns around. “Ha, lucky is Superman saving the day.”  _ Does he really think I don’t know who he is? _

“Not something one expects a Luthor to say.”

“And Supergirl was there too.”  _ Yeah, cause no one seems to notice me when he’s around _ , Kara thinks. _ Or even when he isn’t around. _

Lena looks at the young woman standing near Clark. Lena suspects she is meeting National City’s hero. “And who are you exactly?” _She’s cuter in person._

“Um, um, Kara Danvers. I’m not with the Daily Planet. I’m with CatCo magazine. Sort of.”

* * *

 

“Supergirl!” Supergirl turns to see Lena walking into the room.

J’onn gives her a nod. “Miss Luthor helped with the yellow sun grenade.”

“Thank you. You saved a lot of people. Again.” Supergirl smiles at Lena.

“It was the right thing to do.” She smiles softly at Supergirl.

“Alex, what are you doing?” Winn asks Alex, who was unconsciously reaching a hand toward her gun. She looks at Winn with a glare.

“Nothing.” Alex exclaims

“See you around, Supergirl.” Lena was watching Alex glaring at her, and starting to come closer. She smiles at Supergirl, and leaves. Supergirl continues looking where Lena disappeared.

“What the hell was that, Kara?” Supergirl spins around to see Alex standing right behind her. “Does she know who you are?”

“No, of course not! I was going to ask you what she was doing here.”

* * *

 

“I can’t fight for a woman who has already met her ideal match.” Mon-El tells Kara. “You don’t have to say anything. This was my last goodbye stop. Take care, Kara. I hope you two come together soon.”

* * *

 

“Things have been a little hard lately, but in all of these challenges, I’ve made a new friend. A great friend actually. I think you would have liked her. She’s so smart. Her name is Lena. I feel like she actually sees me.” Supergirl tells the hologram of her mother.

“That’s great, Kara.”

“Was I already matched with who I would marry… before?”

“Zor-El had not yet found a suitable match for you. A suitable match would have had to fit highly into the Science Guild.”

* * *

 

Lois laughs because it’s so obvious to her that Lena knows who Kara really is. 

“She’s not just another Luthor.” Kara quickly interjects.

“Woah there, Supergirl. A little quick on the draw there. I was going to say that because of who she is and how high profile she’s become, it may be more dangerous for her to not have Supergirl looking out for her.”

“You don’t think it turns you into a target associating with a hero?”

“Lena Luthor already has multiple targets on that tough exterior. Having Supergirl in her corner gives her some obstacles before anyone can even see those targets. You can’t see the people you… care about as a weakness. They are the ones that give you strength to come back from a fight.”

Kara looks away with a thoughtful expression. _ I never thought of it that way. _

“Exactly. There are clearly plenty of people telling you to be wary of her, so I will just be a neutral, honest party. At least until I meet her.” Lois winks.

“Thanks, Lois.” Kara gives her a hug.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Who do  **you** think Mon-El was talking about?”

“I...I haven’t had time to think about that.”

“Who do you want it to be?”

* * *

 

“You need to talk to your sister, Kara.” Lois watches Kara sigh. “She does know you came here for the weekend, right?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Then there is no reason you can’t talk to her about this. Go have a sister night with her, and just talk to her. You tell her everything. You always have. She’ll want to hear about this too.”

* * *

 

“Kara, I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me.” Alex echoes Kara’s words from when Alex came out to her.

“I love you, Alex.” 

“I love you too, Kara.” 

“I don’t know how she did it, Alex. I told her it was my birthday right before we went to sleep. When I woke up, she wasn’t in bed, but there was this gift right in front of my face…”

Alex’s eyes raise when Kara says “she wasn’t in bed.” She continues to listen though, wondering what’s exactly is going on between the two of them.

* * *

 

Winn watches Supergirl smiling at her phone with a tilt of his head. He clears his throat, and she looks over at him. He points at the phone. “Who’s that?”

“What?”

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in… I don’t know how long. Who’s texting you?”

She hides the phone screen against her stomach. “I was checking in on Lena. When I left, she was talking with Maggie.”

“Hmm…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

* * *

 

By the end of the lunch, Kara has figured out why Cat Grant considers Lois Lane to be such a rival. The woman can work wonders with closed off people. The story of the time Kara thought a possum was a dog had Lena genuinely laughing. That led to several more stories. Before Kara realized what was happening, Lena was sharing a few small stories herself. Most were business-related, as Kara wouldn’t expect her to go into her past. With a little prying, Lois had Lena telling her about when Kara first drunk text her. Kara added her own little story about Lois, which was the story of what happened last time she visited. She hoped Alex wouldn’t find out about her telling that story to Lena.

* * *

 

Two hours later, drunken laughter is flowing from Lena and Lois. They are facing each other on a couch, both relaxed with the help of alcohol. Two bottles of wine are on the coffee table in front of them - one already empty. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Lois slurs. “She did not let you do that!”

“It’s true. I partially did it to see her reaction. How was I supposed to know she would keep my name in her phone as ‘Lois Lane’?”

“Please tell me you didn’t save her name as ‘Superman.’”

With a smirk, Lena answers, “Superbabe. That’s what Poison Ivy called her when we had a run in with her a couple of weeks ago.”

* * *

 

A piercing noise fills Supergirl’s sensitive ears, forcing her down onto her knees, as she covers her ears. Lillian stalks toward the alien. “Well, that was easy. Wanna try more of these toys?” 

Acting on instinct, Lena rushes toward Lillian. “Don’t hurt her!” Hank Henshaw roughly grabs her from advancing any further.  _ She can’t die. No. Not because of me.  _ Lillian turns back to her daughter in time to see Hank Henshaw throw Lena onto the concrete ground. Lena’s head bounces off of the ground, and her vision blurs.

* * *

 

The glowing of Metallo’s chest radiates and buzzes in front of Supergirl. Supergirl knows he can’t be saved. She turns back to Lena, and scoops her into her arms. Clutching Lena close to her chest  _ for her safety _ , she flies out of the same hole she made when she arrived. The blast impacts behind her, and she feels a gust of wind propel her forward. She makes it seconds ahead of the kryptonite cloud.

Hearing her name shouted into her earpiece brings her back from her racing thoughts. She slows down, and takes a deep breath. “I’m here. We made it out.” Her eyes find Lena’s face tucked in her shoulder.

* * *

 

“You were right,” James admits. “About Lena Luthor. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Kara looks away for a moment. She knows it’s an olive branch. “You were just trying to protect me.”  

“Same as you. About Winn and me.”

“Can we just…” 

“Stop fighting about it?”

Kara nods.

* * *

 

**Lois Lane:** Remember that thing we talked about that you refused to bet on?

**Maggie Sawyer:** Yes?

**Lois Lane:** The answer is yes, she can be that oblivious.

**Maggie Sawyer:** What now?

**Lois Lane:** Kara has an office full of flowers, and thinks it was just a “thank you” for being a friend.

**Maggie Sawyer:** I’m not going near that. Let her figure it out.

**Lois Lane:** You gonna tell Alex?

**Maggie Sawyer:** Hell no.

* * *

 

Looking down, Lena opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again. Her voice is stronger when she looks back up. “Well, Supergirl may have saved me, but Kara Danvers, you, are my hero.”  _ And I mean that. Supergirl would be nothing without Kara’s passion and compassion. _

* * *

 

Supergirl takes a moment to sort her words. “I have had some pretty close calls in my life, Lena. Sometimes… I do want to process it alone, but I sometimes forget that being alone isn’t my only option. It’s not a weakness to want support during hard times. You don’t have to be alone, Lena. Whether you feel like you deserve it or not… you do have people that care about you. Nobody deserves to be alone during challenging times.”

* * *

 

“Hold on,” Lena raises a hand to halt any response from Kara. “Let me say this… I was ready to go home for the night, and I ended up here. When you said… No, I don’t feel I deserve someone like you, but maybe I don’t have to be alone right now.” 

“Lena, I -”

“Kara, listen. We both know that there are plenty of things left unsaid between us. Just because we have secrets, doesn’t mean we don’t trust each other.”

“I do trust you, Lena.”

“I know. What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay. I know you’re my friend, and we have time. There’s no need to divulge anything we aren’t ready to.”

“We have time.”

* * *

 

Kara and Lena are deep in their dreams, cuddled in the middle of the bed. Two hands grasp the window sill from the outside. Keeping mindful of the Kryptonian hearing just inside, the owner of the hands slowly pulls just enough to get a peek at the bed’s occupants. With a shake of the head, a plan is formed, and then the hands are gone.

* * *

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” The man shakes a finger at Lois. “Watch your language around the baby.” He laughs at his own wittiness. “You’re going to have your hands full for a little while. Don’t worry… you’ll have everything you need.” He snaps his fingers again.

“Oh my fucking god!” Lois shouts when she realizes where she is standing. With a sound halfway between a groan and a sigh, she takes in the walls of the Fortress of Solitude. She’s standing between a fridge and bed. A section of the cave has been converted into a misplaced apartment space. She hears crying, and turns to see baby Clark in a crib. “Nice touch.” She says with sarcasm dripping from her tone, as she takes in the sight of a baby Superman wrapped in his cape and wearing a House of El crest onesie. “Just fucking great.”


	2. Ground Work

Alex opens the door to her apartment with a flirty smile. “Well hello, Detective Sawyer.” She leans one hand against the doorjamb with her other hand on her hip.

Maggie’s eyebrows go up to her hairline. _Holy hell…_ “Damn, Danvers. Lookin’ good.”

With a smirk, Alex steps to the side and waves Maggie into the apartment. “You too, Swayer.” Alex’s eyes trail down Maggie’s backside.

Hearing the tone of Alex’s voice, Maggie glances over her shoulder to see where Alex’s eyes are glued. “You alright there, Danvers?”

Alex tears her eyes away and looks up to see Maggie smirking at her. “Never better.”

“So did you want to watch a movie?”

Slowly, Alex saunters up to Maggie. She looks her up and down with a little hum. “After.”

Maggie doesn’t have a chance to respond before Alex is dragging her to the bedroom.

* * *

 

“So.” Maggie sits up in the bed, the sheet sliding against her body. “Talk to me, Danvers.”

“What do you want to know?” Alex slides a hand over the muscles in Maggie’s abdomen.

“Your sister. You’ve never gotten to talk much about what it was like, have you? The whole adopting an alien sister and all that.”

Alex stills her hand, and looks away. “No, not really.”

“You two are extremely close.”

“We weren’t always.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmhmm, we had a bit of a rocky start. I was 15 and suddenly had this 13-year-old alien girl following me around.”

“How did you get to where you are now?”

“Time.” She shrugs. “Actually… there was this one night I, uh, heard her crying. I tried to get her to talk to her cousin, Superman. We called him so she could get some advice on the whole being overwhelmed by all of her heightened senses thing. The call lasted less than five minutes, and I just… felt so bad for the kid. After that, I started to feel it was my responsibility to help her. She always looked so broken and lost.”

“What’d you do?”

“You know how she’s into painting?” Maggie nods in the affirmative. “My mom believed that would help her gain control over her strength. I spent hours researching art therapy so I could help her. We would go exploring to find new things for her to paint.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. You’re amazing. She’s lucky to have you.”

Alex shakes her head. “I’m lucky Superman was buddies with my parents. I can’t imagine what my life would have been without her… where I would be… who would I be.”

Maggie tucks a stray strand of hair behind Alex’s ear. “She’s why you’re at the DEO, huh?”

Alex nods. “To protect her. I know, I know. I’m crazy for wanting to protect someone who is bulletproof.” She chuckles briefly.

“Nah… well… okay, it’s a little scary that you would totally throw yourself in front of a gun for her, but she would beat you to it anyway.” Maggie’s dimples show with her smile.

“That’s true.”

“Do you know much about where she’s from?”

“Krypton? Some.” Alex moves her head from side to side. “It took years before she would even bring it up. She carried… carries so much loss. Don’t let that smile and disgustingly positive attitude fool you.” Her smile turns wistful. “I remember the first time I saw her real smile. It was like a completely different girl. Under all of that pain, I found someone just looking to be loved. Once I started to get to know that girl, I cared more about bringing her out than getting to know about another planet.” She sighs. “She was 13. She was 13 when her parents locked her in a tiny space ship all by herself. How much of a clear perspective did you have on the world when you were 13?”

“No where near the outlook I have now.”

“Exactly. She left believing her parents to be these great heroes and thought her world was the most amazing place. She’s spent hours trying to describe different colors that exist. She’s cried over not being able to find a word in English that can express how she feels. She’s stumbled through countless social interactions only to feel more like an alien by the end.” Maggie grabs her hand in encouragement. “Since coming out as Supergirl, she’s found out some things that have warped the memory of her home… of her family. She will probably never even admit this to herself, but… I think she’s terrified of Earth having the same fate. Did you know Krypton, as in the entire planet, had xenophobic views that could rival this country’s? Don’t tell her I told you this… The Medusa was created by her father to eradicate anyone not Kryptonian on their entire planet. They were ridiculously technologically advanced. Other planets either thought they were uptight or god-like.”

“Really? We’re talking about a place that Kara came from?”

Alex lets out a snort of laughter. “Believe it or not, yeah.”

“What family did she have there?”

Alex takes in a deep breath to settle herself. “Her parents, Zor-El and Alura Zor-El-”

“Wait, isn’t her last name Zor-El?”

“Yeah, although they weren’t necessarily a patriarchal or homophobic society by the time Kara was around, they still held on to some of their older customs - including their patriarchal naming system. They have these houses. Kara is in the House of El. Her dad was named Zor-El, because males get their house name tagged onto a forename of sorts. Females use their father’s name as a surname if they are unmarried. Her dad’s brother is Jor-El, Superman’s father. And um…” She looks down, and scrunches her eyebrows.

“And?” Maggie gives her an encouraging smile.

“Her mom had a twin, Astra, who was married to Non.” She takes a deep breath, remembering everything with those two relatives last year. “Superman is her cousin, as you know. That’s all of the family I know about. I’ve never managed to get her to talk about anyone else.”

“I can’t blame her. It’s one thing to lose a family member or friend or a few… But, damn, everyone she knew for the first half of her life… that’s something else entirely.”

Alex nods thoughtfully. “Even with everything she’s been through, she has so much love… and cares so fiercely.”

“That why she got so pissed about me arresting Lena Luthor?” _Nice segway, Maggie. Hopefully she’ll take the bait._

Alex rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe she actually let you into her office to apologize.”

Maggie shrugs. “I just walked in.”

“Still… That just didn’t seem like something I thought she would allow.”

“Maybe Kara is chipping away at that icy exterior.” _Now I start laying the groundwork._

“If anyone can do that, it’s Kara.”

“So.” Maggie scoots closer to Alex. “Tell me how you really feel about that.”

“What exactly?”

“The Kara and Lena relationship.” She chooses “relationship” over “friendship” specifically.

“Ah… that…” She takes in a deep breath. “I promised Kara I would give her a chance and not judge her. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t been carrying more suspicion than anything, but… even I have to admit at some point that she keeps proving us wrong.”

“Look at you having an open mind, Danvers.”

Alex nudges Maggie’s shoulder. “Watch it, Sawyer.” She throws a mock glare at her girlfriend.

Maggie only laughs and kisses Alex. “We should hang out with the two of them.”

The DEO agent raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“You know, show Kara you support them. Plus, she will probably appreciate not being a third wheel constantly.” Maggie places another, longer kiss to Alex’s lips. “And we-”

Alex interrupts her with another kiss. “No more talking about my sister.” She kisses Maggie. “It’s a mood killer.” She rolls on top of Maggie, effectively ending the conversation.

 


	3. Tread Lightly

“Kara!” Kara slows her steps from the elevator lobby. “Hey, Kara!”

She turns around to see James walking up to her. “Hey, James. What’s up?”

“How was your weekend in Metropolis?” They begin walking together.

“It was good.” She nods with a small smile. “Never a dull moment with Lois around. You know that, I’m sure.”

James laughs. “Yeah, she can be a handful. You should hear Lucy go on about her.”

“Have you talked to Lucy lately? Lois said they’re doing better now. Something about them hanging out when she came down here.”

“We, uh, we talked a bit. I think we’re going to try to get coffee sometime this week.”

“That’s good. Is she back for good?”

“I’m not sure. She wouldn’t really tell me, but I’ll let you know.” Kara smiles up at him, and they round the corner to Kara’s office. “Ah, I see you haven’t done anything with those.”

“Ha, yeah… I think I forgot about them.”  _ More like got distracted.  _

James leans against the doorjamb with his arms crossed. “Did you ever find a card in that jungle?”

“No, I, uh, figured it out though.”

“Oh yeah?” James smiles at her, waiting for more information.

“Yup.” Kara walks into her office, and winds her way to her desk. She places her bag on the desk, and looks back at James.

“Don’t leave a guy hangin’, Kara.” He chuckles a little.

Kara shrugs, and pushes up her glasses. “They’re from Lena.”

James’ eyebrows shoot up. “As in Luthor?”

“James.” A warning is in Kara’s tone.

He holds up a hand. “Just asking.” He opens his posture a little more. “No need for the Lena lecture.”

“Lena lecture?”

“Ha, yeah.” James clears his throat. “Winn came up with that.”

“Of course he did.” Kara can’t help but laugh. She sighs. “I’m trying to work on that. It’s just…” Her shoulders sag, and she looks away. 

“Just?”

“It really bothers me that everyone judges her because of actions done by her family when Lena has done nothing but good. Everyone is so quick to deny her even the slightest chance, but my family wasn’t that great either.” She shrugs.

James lets out a sigh, and walks to stand on the opposite side of Kara’s desk from her. “Kara, that’s different. We -”

“But it’s not different.” She huffs.

“Okay, look,” James holds up both hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. You’ve proved she’s not like them.”

“Thank you.” Kara lets out a breath.

“You really care about her?”

Kara nods, and looks down.  _ So much that it kind of surprises me sometimes.  _ Her eyes find James again. “I do.”

James crosses his arms, and nods while looking down. When he meets Kara’s eyes again, there’s something new there. “I hope she stays deserving of that, Kara.”

“She will.” Not an ounce of doubt shows on Kara’s face. 

“Alright, well, I have some proofing to do.” James walks back to the door. “See you later, Kara.”

“Thanks, James.” When she can’t see him anymore, Kara takes in all of the flowers filling her office. “She deserves more than just one friend.”

**Kara:** Do you have plans for lunch??

**Alex:** Nope, what’s up?

**Kara:** Noonan’s at noon? (Lol get it… noon...ans…)

**Alex:** Oh my god, Kara… You made that joke for the 3 years you worked there. It’s still not funny. 

**Alex:** But yeah. I’ll see you there.

**Kara:** It’s hilarious. :) seee youuuuu

“Ponytail!”

Kara snaps up to see Snapper glaring at her. “Yes, sir?”

“Scrap that fluff piece you’re working on. I have something else for you.” He waves a paper in the air. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Oh.” Kara jumps up, and manages not to knock over any bouquets on her way to take the paper from his hands.

“And you might want to think about moving your flower business somewhere else.” His voice is near a growl.

“Yes, I’ll get on that.” Kara watches him leave without another word. She lets out a sigh, and looks at her new assignment. 


	4. Last Minute Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idea for the picture came from this: https://youtu.be/YgrHgIG0dKU?t=2m12s

The elevator doors slide open with a ding. Lena steps out in all of her CEO splendor and strides directly to her office. Jess is standing beside her desk, awaiting Lena. Once Lena is passing her secretary’s desk, Jess falls into step beside her boss with her eyes glued on the tablet in her hands. 

“Good morning, Miss Luthor.” She continues to tap on her tablet without looking up. Without missing a beat in telling Lena about her schedule for the day, she holds Lena’s office door open and follows her into the room. Lena listens, while hanging up her purse and coat before going to her desk. Jess stands in front of Lena’s desk, eyes still on the tablet. “I have the updates you asked for from security.”

“Oh, good. I need those today.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.” Jess taps on the screen. “Oh, and there’s a last minute meeting this morning.” She hums with her eyebrows furrowed. “I must have missed it earlier.” She says under her breath. The secretary clears her throat before speaking louder. “It’s in an hour.”

“With?” Lena raises an eyebrow at the woman standing across from her.

Jess looks up from the tablet. “Miss Danvers.”

Lena tilts her head. “Kara Danvers?”

“Yes ma’am.”

_ Weird.  _ “Ah, thank you, Jess. You can send her in as soon as she gets here.” With a professional nod, Jess turns on her heel, and leaves the office. Lena slowly sits in her chair.  _ Since when does Kara make appointments through Jess?  _ She tries not to let her anxieties run through her thoughts. The formality of scheduling an appointment without even a simple text to Lena causes a spark of fear inside of the CEO. 

With a shake of her head, Lena shoves the thoughts to the back of her mind. She opens her laptop, and sets herself to stay focused until Kara arrives.

* * *

 

“Hey Kara,” James smiles, and walks up to Kara as she walks past the desks of her coworkers.

“Hey, sorry, but I’m running late. What’s up?” Kara minutely slows her pace.

“Oh, nothing. Go on. Good luck with your interview.” He smiles, and pushes the elevator button for Kara.

“Thanks, James!” She rushes into the elevator.  _ Rao, I really don’t want to do this interview. _

* * *

 

Lena’s eyes are firmly glued to her laptop screen, her fingers flying fast enough to make Supergirl jealous. She’s working furiously on calculations of Dr. Sanchez’s latest report before their meeting later. She hears the sound of someone clearing their throat near the doorway. “One moment, Kara.” She says without looking up. 

A few more words are added, and she is at a suitable place to pause. “What can I-” Her eyes open wide when she sees the person standing in her office.  _ Why me? _

* * *

 

_ Lena stepped out of the elevator, with her heels clicking distinctly across the main lobby of L-Corp. It’s a Friday night, and her only friend has probably landed in Metropolis by now. Thinking of Kara, she decided to send her a quick text.  _ Friends do that, right?  _ She went through the familiar process of convincing herself that what she was doing was purely platonic.  _

**_Lena Beana:_ ** _ I hope you had a safe trip to Metropolis. Don’t let Lois get you into any trouble. :) _

_ Lena rolled her eyes at her use of a smiley face, something she never did before Kara. _

**_Sunshine Danvers:_ ** _ Lena! Hi! Yes, I made it here just fine. And I will do my best! _

_ The CEO strolled out of the doors of L-Corp with a small smile on her face. _

_ “That’s sickeningly cute.” _

_ Lena stopped walking, as her head shot up to find the source of the comment. “Detective Sawyer.” She lifted an eyebrow at the woman casually leaning against the car she was walking toward.  _

_ Maggie smirked. “CEO Luthor.” _

_ “Doesn’t have the same ring to it.” Lena continued walking to the car. “You haven’t arrested my driver, have you?” _

_ The cop laughed, and pushed off of the car. “Nah, he’s in there. But I told him that he won’t be taking you home.” _

_ Lena stopped in front of Maggie. “Maggie, can you just… tell me what you want.” She crossed her arms over her chest. _

_ Maggie put her hands on her hips. “I believe you said I was buying the drinks.” _

_ “Excuse me?”  _ I was just trying to be nice,  _ Lena thought, not wanting to spend time with a woman clearly used to being able to easily charm other women - especially one that arrested her. _

_ “Look, I know you know Kara is out of the state for the weekend. And I had a feeling that you wouldn’t have any plans. No offense or anything. Just an observation.” _

_ Lena held back a smart retort. “I’m not hearing the part where you tell me exactly what it is you are expecting from me.” She held her temper for Kara’s sake. _

_ “Hey, not everyone being nice just wants something from you. But that’s not the point here. Lois really likes you, kid. Her words, not mine. She had me promise to make sure you didn’t spend your weekend alone while Kara is with her. So I’m here to take you for those drinks we talked about.” _

_ “Detective -” Lena was losing her patience with the subtly aggravating woman. _

_ “Come on, Little Luthor.” _

_ Lena let out a sigh. “Maggie, the last thing I want to do is be seen drinking in public... Particularly not with the detective that arrested me not that long ago. I’ve had more than enough press this month.” _

_ “Okay, then we go to my place.” Maggie smiled with mischief.  _

_ A perfect eyebrow raised on Lena’s face.  _

_ “Or yours. I just figured you weren’t the type to have people over.” _

_ “That’s true.”  _ But I’m not sure her place would be better.  _ “I don’t know.” The more Maggie pushed, the more Lena found herself possibly not minding having company - even though the detective can be irritating. _

_ Maggie pulled out an envelope from inside of her leather jacket.  _ Time to bring out my secret weapon.  _ “I borrowed some pictures of young Alex… and Kara.” She smirked at Lena. “The kind that they keep hidden.” Lena’s eyes dropped briefly to the envelope. Maggie let out a deep sigh, realizing maybe she was coming off the wrong way. “Okay, okay.” She said in surrender. “Maybe I’m coming off as an ass.” _

_ “Maybe?” _

_ “Alright. I deserved that.” Maggie’s voice turned softer than it had before around Lena. “I know how this seems… like I’m using you to get on Kara’s good side. I’m sorry.” She put the envelope back in her pocket. “I’m not the kind of person that gets all mushy with people, ya know? I really do just want to hang out though. I know what it’s like to be on the outs with family.” She paused, and looked down for a moment. “I try to forget about that to be honest. So yeah, maybe I come off a little rude at times, but it isn’t completely intentional. So maybe we can try this whole thing over, and we can also ignore the fact that the Danvers sisters’ habit of rambling may be rubbing off on me, because that is the most I have spoken at once.” She let out a breath. “Do you want to get a drink, forget about our families for a while, and laugh at a picture of young Kara with a mullet?” She gave a hopeful smile without the previous cockiness it used to hold. _

_ Lena pursed her lips in thought and maintained eye contact with Maggie for several long moments. The corner of her lip quirked once. “Get in the car.” _

_ Maggie let out a nervous laugh. She opened the door and motioned for Lena to get in first.  _

_ “Darias, we’ll need to stop for wine on the way home.” Lena informed her driver. _

_ “So I get to see your place?” Maggie smiled brightly. _

_ “This is not an open invitation or given access for any kind of investigations, Detective Sawyer.” _

_ “Of course not, Miss Luthor.” The silence extends for several minutes before Maggie speaks again. “So how many times has Kara stayed over?”  _

_ “Why exactly are you on the outs with your family?” _

_ “And now we’ve found the lines that we won’t cross,” Maggie said apologetically. “So… red or white?” _

These pictures better be worth it,  _ Lena thought. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a break between the first and second half of writing this chapter. I started it the day that I posted "Sister Night," which was the weekend I mentioned my friend/secret crush moving. Welllll that Saturday night, I hung out with her and other kickboxing friends. I have never been drunk like that before. Never again. I'm in my mid-twenties, and I am currently suffering from my very first hangover. The past 6 hours, I've been curled on my couch, awaiting my death. I'm just now able to look at my computer screen. (To clarify, it's April 16th right now). But anyways... just wanted to share that little fun fact. I won't be finishing this chapter until tomorrow at the earliest. I'd prefer not to throw up on my laptop. 
> 
> Oh! And no worries... my crush is still a secret. Though I accidentally let it slip to one of my friends there, but she doesn't remember, and I never told her who, so we're good haha. After they had me get into the shower fully clothed, two of them took me home. One (my crush) drove my car, while the other followed behind. I now know that I prefer to be the one taking care f the drunk people. Drink responsibly, friends.


	5. I Don't Have Time For This

Lena straightens her spine and raises her chin with her expression blank. “I don’t appreciate last minute appointments being made under false pretenses.” Her hands fold together on her desk.  _ How did Jess allow this? _

An irritating chuckle escapes her very unwelcomed guest. The CEO’s eyes slightly narrow, and she leans forward on her forearms. “I’m sure you can make an exception for me.” Lena’s eyebrow quirks a little. “Ooo, we’re snippy, aren’t we?” The intruder’s voice is amused. “Ah, I get it. I haven’t introduced myself yet. Perfectly understandable that you would want that information first. I get it.” Adjusting the small hat on his head, the little man executes a quirky bow toward Lena. “Mr. Mxyzptlk.” He stands back up, and adjusts his green bow tie after placing the purple hat back on his bald head. 

For an endless moment, Lena merely stares at the man that would likely only come up to her knees, her face not betraying a single emotion. “I don’t have time for this.” She shakes her head, and picks up a pen off of her desk while opening a folder.

Mr. Mxyzptlk’s thick eyebrows shoot up to the top of his head. “Woah, woah, woah.” He walks closer to her desk. “Huh.” He contemplates the tall desk that will block his view, and floats up into the air across from Lena at her desk.

“As I said,” Lena shakes her head in exasperation. “I don’t have time for this.” She begins writing on the papers on her desk. “You may leave in whatever manner it is you managed to get in here.”

The small man looks at her absolutely incredulously. “Hey!” Lena continues to ignore the intruder. He narrows his eyes at the woman. “Listen!” His shiny head suddenly pops through the desk and papers on it, and he is now face-to-face with Lena. 

Slamming her palms on her desk, Lena pushes herself back with a gasp she couldn’t contain. “What the fuck!” She stands quickly, and glares at the man now floating with a mischievous smirk over her desk. 

He lets out a pleased laugh. “My, my, Miss Luthor, what nasty language.” He puts his hands on his hips.

Gaining her composure again, Lena crosses her arms over her chest with a glare at the man. “You need to leave.”

“But you haven’t offered me anything to drink!”

Lena’s jaw tightens. 

“I suppose that’s alright. I can get something myself.” He lifts a hand, and a glass of orange juice appears in his grip. He drinks the contents in one gulp, and tosses the glass over his shoulder. It disappears before it can reach the ground.

“Now that libations have been taken care of… shall we get down to business?”

_ Fuck this.  _ Lena moves to walk around her desk.

“Not so fast.” Mr. Mxyzptlk appears in front of her with a distinct “pop.” “Okay, okay, okay.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “I can see that I’m going to have to be a little more…” He grins. “Propelling in my approach.” He rubs his hands together, and Lena begins to take steps backward. “Have a nice trip.” Lena’s eyes go wide.

* * *

 

“Supergirl!” Winn’s voice comes through the earpiece. “What’s your ETA?”

“10 seconds!” Supergirl shouts over the wind thrashing her cape. She is flying to a rocket about to be launched from the top of one of the skyscrapers. She lands on the opposite side of the rooftop from the revving rocket. “I’m here!” She runs to the rocket. “Lena?” Her eyes go wide, and she gasps in surprise.

“Supergirl, what is it?”

“Oh Rao!” She rushes to untie her alter ego’s best friend from the rocket. “Lena!” She tries to get the semi-conscious woman’s attention. 

“Supergirl!” That’s Alex’s voice.

Supergirl gently carries the CEO away from the rocket. “Lena?”

Lena’s eyes flutter for a few moments before focusing on her face. “S- Supergirl?”

A sigh escapes the superhero. “It’s Lena. She was tied to the-” Her eyes go wide at the sudden lack of the sounds the rocket was making, and she turns around.

“Supergirl?” Alex speaks again.

“It’s… it’s gone. The rocket is just… gone.” The hero gapes at the now empty rooftop.

“You can put me down now.”

“Oh!” Supergirl’s eyes go wide, and she looks down to see Lena looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry,” She carefully sets the woman down to her feet.

Lena smooths her hands over her clothes, and looks to the spot where the rocket previously was. “Well that was-”

“Exciting, right?” A voice speaks up from behind them, and both women spin to see Mr. Mxyzptlk hovering in the air as if he were lounging on a beach. Supergirl immediately puts her body in front of Lena, resisting a sudden urge to hold on to the woman.

“Supergirl, what’s going on?” J’onn’s voice appears in her ear.

“Oh, we can’t have that.” The floating man waves his hand, and Supergirl’s earpiece makes a buzzing sound before butting off the connection. 

“Friend of yours?” Lena asks Supergirl.

She shakes her head, and glares at the stranger. “Who are you?” Supergirl uses her no nonsense voice.

The purple-suited man straightens up in the air, and spreads his arms out to indicate himself. “Aw, Baby Super, I am hurt. Truly hurt. You don’t know who I am?”

Supergirl doesn’t see Lena’s eye roll. “I’m guessing you’re the one that strapped Miss Luthor to a rocket about to launch.” Her eyes narrow at the man. Lena’s jaw tightens, and she resists the sudden urge to reach out to touch the woman in front of her.

A fully-belly laugh escapes the man, and he does a few rolls in the air before settling back to speak to the women. “I knew you would make it in time.” He waves his arms in front of his face. “But that’s not important.”

Supergirl takes a step forward, and he puts a hand up to stop her. “Hold on there, little thing.”

The hero huffs. “Who are you calling little?” She ignores the laugh coming from Lena.

“Moving on.” He waves off the comment. “I am Mr. Mxyzptlk.” He snaps his fingers, and his name is spelled out in the air above his head. “I…” He puts his hands on his hips dramatically. “Am Superman’s best friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I have a month to submit an original pilot script and spec script, and I am looking for as many pairs of eyes as possible to provide feedback. If you are interested, let me know :) (You can email me at CatarinaElibeth@utexas.edu or find me on almost any social media with the username, CatarinaElibeth)
> 
> It's not "Supergirl"-related, but they are hour-long live action dramas.


	6. Confusing

Supergirl guffaws a moment, and regains her composure. “No, you’re not.” She puts her own hands on her hips.

“Sure, I am. And,” He draws out the word while he floats closer. “I’ve been watching you. You’re… not bad,” He looks her up and down. “Supergirl. So!” He perks up. “I’m here to test you.”

The hero narrows her eyes, and reaches behind with one hand to find Lena’s arm.  _ He better not try anything.  _ “I don’t need to be tested.”

“Sure you do!” He says cheerfully. “It’ll be so much fun!” He looks over Supergirl’s shoulder at Lena. “Don’t you agree?” Supergirl takes a step toward him. “Ta-ta!” He disappears with an audible “pop.”

Supergirl lets out a groan, and turns to face Lena. “Are you alright?”

“You mean besides being in my office with a strange floating man one moment, and suddenly finding myself about to be launched to Mars the next?” She lifts an eyebrow, and tilts her head at Supergirl.

“Um, yes?” She internally winces at her loss of Supergirl vebrado.

“What is he?”

Supergirl shrugs sheepishly. “So what happened?”

“There really isn’t much more to it. He appeared in my office, and then I was suddenly here.” 

She taps her earpiece, and sighs. “He did something to my communication device.”

“How thorough of him.” Lena smirks.

“Hang on.” The hero pulls out her superphone from the pocket under her cape. She dials Alex’s number. “Hey, my comm was tampered with, but things are okay now.” 

Lena listens to Supergirl’s brief conversation, and looks around at the skyline.  _ What building are we on? _

“Right. Bye.” Supergirl hangs up with an audible exhale. “Sorry about…” She waves a hand around to try to find the right word. “This.”

Lena tilts her head, and lets a coy smile grace her features. “That was eloquent.”

The hero chuckles, and looks down at her boots.  _ Not my best moment.  _ She looks back up at Lena. “I’m not even sure what this is.” She gestures with a hand to where the rocket was and where the man was floating.

“That’s always good to hear.” Lena smiles to remove any sting from the words.

“Considering you’re on top of CatCo, I suppose you’ll need a lift back to L-Corp?”

“Ah, I thought I recognized this area.” Lena nods. “Yes, I have a meeting in,” She looks at her watch, “45 minutes.”

Supergirl smiles at Lena, and closes the distance between them. She tilts her head in question at Lena. “Um…”

Lena lets out a light laugh a human might not have been able to hear, and shakes her head at her friend’s awkwardness. She takes the last step to remove the air between them, and puts a hand on Supergirl’s shoulder. “No crazy tricks.” She quirks an eyebrow, her face painfully close to the other woman’s.

The hero laughs now that the tension has been so elegantly broken by Lena. “Maybe next time then.” She carefully scoops Lena into her arms, and the CEO’s arms wrap around her neck.

“What makes you think there is going to be a next time?”

“Isn’t there?” Supergirl smirks, and slowly begins flying her back to L-Corp.

_ Did she just smirk at me?  _ Lena bites her lip and watches Supergirl’s profile while the hero keeps her eyes straight ahead. “Perhaps.”

When Supergirl looks back at Lena’s face, there is a coy smirk firmly in place on the CEO’s face. The hero’s throat moves with a large swallow.  _ I really need to talk to Alex. _

“Shouldn’t you keep your eyes on the sky, Supergirl?” Lena’s smirk grows when Supergirl’s eyes widen.

Supergirl lets out a small laugh, and forces her eyes back to the city in front of her. “I have a great sense of direction.”

“Oh, so we just passed L-Corp to take the scenic route?”

“What?” Supergirl freezes her flight, and her eyes are wide as she looks back over her shoulder. “Oh. Yeah. Right.”

Lena can no longer hold in her laughter, and it comes out slightly breathless. “Think you can be discreet? If no one noticed my absence, I would prefer it to stay that way.”

“Yes, of course.” Supergirl gathers her bearings, and flies to Lena’s balcony. Her feet touch down carefully before she sets Lena down. A quick scan of the floor showed Supergirl that they were in the clear before they landed. “Here you go.” She smiles at Lena.

The CEO takes a step back, and offers the hero a grateful smile. “Thank you for the rescue from the… odd situation… and for the lift.”

“No problem.” The hero beams at her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were beginning to like flying.”

Lena huffs. “Absolutely not.” She fake glares at the hero. “Don’t go getting any funny ideas.”

“I would never.” Supergirl’s smile is utterly amorous. 

“You, Supergirl, are out of this world.” Lena maintains a neutral expression.

Supergirl’s jaw drops, and her head tilts. After a moment of stunned silence, the corners of her lips start to twitch upward. Suddenly, she brings a hand up to point at the woman across from her. “You… you just made an alien joke.”

Slowly, an enticing smile spreads across Lena’s face. “So I did.” one of her eyebrows raises slightly as she speaks. 

The laugh that escapes Supergirl is full of flustered Kara. She shakes her head, and looks down at her boots. Her laugh dies down, and she speaks quietly. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Blue eyes are staring straight into green eyes.

Lena nods slowly. “Indeed, it would seem so.” The two smile at each other for a few seconds that speak louder than any words could. 

Supergirl’s head tilts, and she looks over Lena’s shoulder through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Looks like your secretary is on her way in here. I should...” She motions with her head toward the skyline behind her.

“Have fun catching that…” She waves a hand in thought. “Mr… Mxy…whatever.”

“Mxy.” Supergirl nods. “Right, yeah. Wish me luck.” She winks at Lena, and is gone, leaving a breeze blowing through Lena’s hair.

Lena lets out a small chuckle, and walks into her office. “Can’t say that’s how I saw my morning going.”


	7. Imp

Supergirl lands inside the atrium of the DEO and meets Agent Danvers and J’onn in the command center. She stands between the two looking at the screens, and places her hands on her hips.

“Supergirl,” J’onn greets her with his gruff voice.

“Please tell me you have something for me.” Supergirl tries not to sound too annoyed.

“Hello to you too,” Alex says under her breath.

J’onn clears his throat before speaking. “Mr. Mxyzptlk.” An image of Superman facing off against the small, bald man appears. “He’s from the fifth dimension. Your cousin has had some run-ins with him before.”

“He claimed to be Superman’s best friend.” Supergirl crosses her arms. “That doesn’t look very friendly.” She nods to the image of Mr. Mxyzptlk launching a confetti cannon at Superman.

“He’s an imp.” Winn speaks up, as she spins around in his chair to bring up other information found. “He likes to bother your cousin on occasion.”

“Okay, so why is he messing with Supergirl?” Alex asks

“He said something about testing me.” Supergirl huffs a little.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Alex crosses her arms.

“Based off of what I’ve found, he is kind of obsessed with Superman. Maybe he has some weird, I don’t know, possessive thing,” Winn suggests.

“What, so you think he wants to see if I’m good enough to be a hero like him? Really?” Supergirl is incredulous.

Winn holds up his hands, palms outward. “Hey, not saying I agree or that it makes sense. Just, maybe he wants to make sure no one spoils his fun.”

“And where is Superman?” J’onn asks.

“There haven’t been any signs of him in several days.” Winn is typing on his computer.

“Is it possible Mxy already did something to him?” Supergirl asks.

Alex raises her eyebrows at her little sister. “Mxy?”

The hero shrugs. “Lena came up with it, and it’s a lot easier to say.”

“Lena?”

“Yeah, um, you know what, I’ll explain later. First thing’s first. What do we do to get rid of him?”

Winn clears his throat. “There are some rumors about this interview he did with your cousin while he was running for office, or something ridiculous like that. He got the imp to say his name backwards, and then, poof, he was gone.”

“That’s all?” J’onn sounds skeptical. “Saying his name backwards does what, exactly?”

“Sends him back to the fifth dimension.”

Supergirl’s face scrunches up in confusion. “How do you even say that backwards?”

Alex rolls her eyes. “I think we should be more concerned about getting him to say it.”

At his computer, Winn tries to sound out the backwards name. “Klut...klite...klip…”

J’onn clears his throat, and Winn looks up to see the three people glaring at him. His mouth closes with an audible click of his teeth. “Agent Schott, can you find a way to track his location?”

“Right, sure, let me see what I can find.” He arches his back over his keyboard.

Supergirl is looking at the images on the screens. “It looks like he is big on getting attention. Maybe we can use that to get him to come to us.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Alex asks.

Shrugging, Supergirl looks at her sister. “I’m a reporter for a huge magazine.”

“Supergirl, I’m not sure using your alter ego would be the best idea,” J’onn interjects.

“He’s an imp with magical powers,” Winn pipes up. “I think he knows who she really is.”

“It doesn’t have to be at CatCo exactly.” Supergirl taps a finger on her chin in thought. “I could set up a couple of chairs on James’ balcony, and nobody besides he and I will know.”

“Then what?” Alex looks at Supergirl pointedly.

“We get  him to say his name backwards.”

“You say that as if it’s so simple.” Alex’s tone is dripping with cynicism.

“If Kal-El can do it over and over again, I don’t see why getting him to say it once will be hard. Plus, he doesn’t know that I know.”

“Speaking of your cousin,” Winn speaks up again. “Should we be trying to find him?”

“No.” J’onn takes control of the situation again. “Any alterations done by Mr. Mxyzptlk will vanish with him when he leaves our dimension.” J’onn turns to face the others. “Supergirl and Mr. Olsen will draw him into an interview. Agent Danvers will take a team to the factory we discussed this morning.” J’onn nods at everyone, and turns to leave.

“So… Lena?” Alex shifts closer so her shoulder is touching Supergirl’s.

Supergirl shakes her head. “Mxy had zapped her from her office, and she was tied to the rocket that was about to be launched.”

Alex’s eyebrows raise. “Why her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to get my attention?”

“Lena was the best way to do that?”

“I don’t know.” Supergirl takes a step backward. “I’m going to go talk to James. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Sure, Kara.” She watches her sister fly out of the DEO.

Supergirl pulls out her superphone to text Lena on her flight to CatCo.

 **Super Babe:** Please let me know if Mxy bothers you again.

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** How’s capturing him going?

 **Super Babe:** I’ve got a plan!!!

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** I’m sure you do.

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** Good luck.


	8. Weivretni

Supergirl lands in an alley a block away from CatCo, and speeds into her Kara Danvers clothes. She stops for a cup of coffee, more out of ritual than necessity, and makes her way to her floor of the building. The latest article she is working on isn’t due for another two days, so she is not expected in Snapper’s office. Wanting to get her imp problem out of the way as soon as possible, she heads straight to the CEO office. There’s no sign of James’ assistant at her desk, so she walks up to the open door and knocks. 

“Hey.” She offers a small smile to her friend.

James looks up with a wider smile, seemingly forgetting the tension between them. “Kara, come on in.” He’s standing behind his desk.

She walks in to stand on the opposite side. A quick check behind herself shows her that there are no other people within earshot. She centers herself with a small sigh, still feeling awkward around James. They have said their apologies, but time is still needed to appease the tension. “Hey, I need your help with something.” She keeps her voice low in case there are prying ears.

“A super something or…” He leaves the question open-ended, immediately taking on a serious tone.

Kara nods, and glances over her shoulder again. “Think you can spare some time this afternoon?”

James eyes light up. “Absolutely!” He looks down with a small laugh, as a smile threatens to take over his face. “You know,” His eyes find Kara again. “I thought it would take you a lot longer to be okay with a team up with Guardian, but I-”

“Wait, what?” Kara’s eyes go wide.

“You said -”

“Oh, no. No, not… not that. No, sorry. I need you. James. Photographer. Acting CEO. What you’re great at.” She finishes with an internal wince.

“Ah.” He straightens. “I see.” An awkward pause follows. “What can I do for you, Kara?”

“I need to use your balcony, if possible, for an interview. And I need you to be there pretending to take pictures for it. It’s not a real interview. Maybe you’ve heard of Mxy. He’s from the fifth dimension. Anyways, he showed up this morning, and apparently he did something to Kal-El to keep him out of the way. So I need to get him to say his name backwards to get him to go back home.”

James blinks at Kara. “Mxy?”

“Yeah, his first name is all long with no vowels.”

“Right.” He crosses his arms. “Yeah, I think I know who you’re talking about. Little guy? Purple hat?”

“That’s the one.” She points to make her emphasis. “So can you help?”

“Of course. What’s the plan?”

* * *

 

Kara sits in her chair, as James adjusts the lighting panels. “How’s it going?”

He smiles at her. “Almost set up. I think Mxy will appreciate this lighting. May even make him look taller.”

The reporter tries not to laugh. “I bet he’ll appreciate that. I hope he shows up. He’d be a great cover story.”

“Superman would be impressed. He’s never been on our cover.”

“Do you think he will tell us about his powers? It must be amazing to have that kind of power. And that’s coming from a girl that can pop a bag of popcorn using her eyes.” Kara smirks.

“I’m just hoping he’ll show up. It would be great to meet him.”

“How flattering,” The unmistakable voice of Mr. Mxyzptlk chirps up. He appears in the seat opposite Kara with a sound similar to a balloon popping. “I do love an interview!”

Kara sits up straighter in her seat, and James’ eyes widen in slight shock. The woman is the first to recover from his sudden appearance.  _ I’m glad all that talking drew him out.  _ “I’m glad you could make it. Sorry, I would have tried to schedule an interview, but I didn’t have contact information for your assistant.”

“Oh, naive girl, when you’re this powerful, you don’t need an assistant… unless you’re looking for a job.” He raises a bushy eyebrow at Kara. “I bet coffee would have a nice zap to it with those eyes of yours.”

Kara’s heart rate quickens at the knowledge that the imp does, indeed, know who she really is. “Sorry, I put my assistant years behind me.” She gives him a sweet smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Shame. Kara Zor-El, assistant, has a nice ring to it, yeah?”

“I go by Kara Danvers, actually.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Speaking of names. How do you pronounce yours?”

The man lets out a delighted chuckle. “Mr. Mxyzptlk!”

“So you’re like… a magician?”

“Oh, you poor dolts stuck in this dimension are so small-minded. I am everything. I can do anything.”

Kara pretends to take notes. “Can you elaborate on that? On your powers?”

The imp perks up in his seat with his feet dangling over the edge. “Certainly!” He giggles. “Think of me as that one Robin Williams character. Love that guy, by the way. I can do anything, but even better than him! It doesn’t have to be a wish for me to do it! And I can’t be summoned by rubbing some piece of metal.”

“So you can do anything?”

“Eh.” He tilts his head side-to-side. “Mostly. There’s the usual mumbo-jumbo with free will stuff. Like I can’t make people fall in love, or force you to stop drinking orange juice. But where would the fun in that be if I could?”

Kara nods, while she pretends to take more notes. “That’s fascinating.” She rests her chin on one fist, with her elbow on the arm of the chair. “So you’re only weakness is that you can’t get into people’s heads, basically?”

He laughs again. “That’s the only limit to my power. I don’t fall to my knees with shiny rocks or anything like that.”

The reporter leans forward, and hears James taking a few pictures. “So is there anything that can get you to fall?” Her pen is over her paper, waiting to add more to her false notes.

“I have a feeling you already know that answer…” He looks serious for a moment, before smiling his mischievous grin again. “But I can play along!” He claps his hands. “I’ve been known to be sent home by saying my name backwards.”

“Backwards?” Kara scrunches her nose in confusion. “I can’t even manage to say it forward, how would I ever say it backwards?”

“No, no, now, you foolish Kryptonian.” He waves his hands in front of himself. “ **You** aren’t the one that has to say it. You have to try to get  **me** to say it.”

“Say what?” Kara tilts her head in intrigue.

“Kltpzyxm. Gosh, you should get your memory checked. Now… ah, nuts.” The imp floats above his chair, and clings to his head with his eyes shut as if in pain.

Kara smirks, and James watches in amazement. “What were you saying about me being a foolish Kryptonian?” She stands, and watches as Mr. Mxyzptlk begins to fade out of view. When he’s gone, she turns to James with a laugh. “Well, that was-”

Raucous laughter interrupts her, and she turns to see the imp back in the chair, doubled over in laughter. “Oh boy! You should have seen your faces! That was priceless! Too bad that camera was facing me, cause that was great.” He pretends to wipe a tear from his eyes.

“Wait…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I did just post a chapter... but I'm bored af at work, and looking for some comments to respond to. 
> 
> Also, I just found out that Caesar dressing has sugar in it... fml... I cut out sugar completely for the next two months. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SALAD DRESSINGS HAVE SUGAR??? FUCKING ALL OF THE ONES I EAT!!! (Deep breaths, Catarina... deep breaths...) Anyways... I just made that discovery, so I'm having to deal with that. My favorite meal every day is my big ass salad. Now I'm going to have to switch to squeezing lemon juice on it. Uuuuugh. Why did I do this to myself? I'm already pouring protein powder in my black coffee to get rid of some of the bitterness, and I've switched to plain yogurt. Ugh. I'm an idiot. But at least my arms get more defined practically each day. So yeah... there's my fitness rant for the day... I have to miss out on kickboxing this morning, because I have a training at work, but at least I still have martial arts class! I'll probably go do some pushups now or something. Or maybe I should write... That would probably be the smart idea...
> 
> I really want to get the pilot finished for people to read by Saturday night!
> 
> Someone entertain me? Please?


	9. Foolish Kryptonian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short, but it's to match Kara's frustration

Kara’s rubs her head, looking away from the laughing imp. The laughter dies down, and she turns a glare on him. “What was that?”

“I told you, Supergirl. I’m here to test you.”

“No, you’re here to play jokes.”

The imp shrugs. “Potato, tomato.” He crosses his legs and leans back on the chair. “I see I’m going to have to spell some things out for you.”

Kara huffs, and takes a step toward him. “You little -”

“Ah, ah, ah.” He tutts. “We both know that won’t do any good, Miss Thing.”

“Who are you calling Miss Thing?” Kara is too indignant to let the comment slide. 

Mr. Mxyzptlk only laughs. “I must say, you are fun in your own way.” He looks at James. “Do you mind?” He sounds offended.

“What?” James huffs.

The imp rolls his eyes, and snaps his fingers. James disappears.

“What did you do to him?”

Her comment is waved off with a small hand. “Just sent him to actually get some work done that is part of his job duties. He’s fine. I don’t care about him.” His voice is oddly serious. “You,” He points with his smile and joyful tone returning, “are the reason I’m here. Now, are you ready to listen up?”

Kara’s jaw clenches.  _ What if I just threw him back to the fifth dimension? _

“Ooo, someone is about to have a hissy. Okay, okay. I’ll make it quick. There’s rules, ya see. Sure, most of the time it’s my name. But when I come for specific reasons for my fun, then the rules change a bit. If you don’t win the game, I keep having my fun.”

“But that makes no sense. How do I win a game that I don’t know the rules to?”

“That’s the fun part!” he almost shouts.

She takes a step closer. “What do you want?” 

“The same thing you do.”  _ His smile is almost wistful, _ Kara thinks. 

“I want you to leave.”

“Before I tell you anything more?” His grin turns sly. “Okay!” He pops out before Kara can say or do anything else.

She groans out in frustration. “I think I miss just punching aliens.” 

Kara finds James coming out of the elevator with his camera bag over his shoulders. His shoulders sag in relief when he sees Kara, and he falls into step with her as she goes to her office. “What happened to you?” she asks.

“He sent me to a rally of some kind downtown with my camera in my hands.”

She’s too frustrated to be amused at the thought of a stranger knowing about James being better suited for that line of work than his Guardian heroics. “You didn’t miss anything here.”

“Did you send him back?”

“No.”

“Did you find out how?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“No.”

“What -”

“I’m going to the DEO. I’ll see you later.” She walks to a nearby stairwell before James can say anything else.  _ Where do I even begin? _

Supergirl lands in the DEO several minutes later and goes to find Alex. She finds her sister alone in a lab. “Hey.” She slumps into a stool beside her big sister.

“That’s not a happy ‘hey.’ Couldn’t get him to say his name backwards?”

The hero groans, and puts her elbows on the table, so she can rest her chin on her fists. “Oh, I got him to say his name backwards.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“It didn’t work.”

“What?”

They discuss what happened on James’ balcony, and the hero’s confusion doesn’t dissipate. “This is all some game to him.”

“A game that you have to win in order to get him to leave.”

Supergirl nods. “Not easy to do without knowing the rules.”

“So maybe just play the game, and see what happens.”

“I don’t even know what we’re playing, Alex.” She is completely exasperated.

“Okay, so we have to put together what we know so far.”

“Which is literally nothing.”

“That’s not entirely true.” Alex gets Supergirl’s full attention. “We have to find hints in what he said. And we know it has something to do with you since he said he wants to test you, and he said something about what you want.”

“Yeah, and I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

“Well he hasn’t been bothering anyone else, and he sent James away from you, so you are definitely his target.”

“What about Lena?” 

A crinkle appears in the middle of Alex’s forehead as she looks at her sister, careful to think before she speaks.  _ What about Lena? _


	10. What About Lena?

Alex softens her features and makes sure to leave all judgement from her tone. “Do you think this has something to do with her?”

“He went to her before me.”

“Maybe, he thought she was the way to get your attention.” Alex tilts her head at her sister, who looks down at her hands playing together on the table. “Why?”

“Why what?” Supergirl doesn’t look up.

“Kara, why did he go after Lena?”

Finally, she looks up at her big sister. “Maybe because she gets so many attacks, so, I don’t know… Maybe he figured I’d have my ears open for any sign of trouble with her.”

“How did you feel when you saw it was her?”

Supergirl’s eyebrows furrow together. “I was worried. And mad.”

“Maybe he has been watching you, and has seen how protective you are of her. Also, you’re the only one that stands up for her. Maybe going after anyone else would have had the chance of getting someone else’s attention…. Like… If it were me, Maggie could have showed up.” 

“That makes sense… kind of.” She sighs, and drops her chin back into her hands. “I was already full on things to think about, and now I have this.”

Alex raises an eyebrow, and shifts closer to her sister. “Things?”

“Yeah…” She sighs again. “I, uh… actually, I hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to you before this started. When I went to Metropolis… There’s something I’ve been trying to figure out for a little while. I was going to talk to you about it, but now all of this is going on. And there’s literally always something coming up at the worst times.”

“It happens in our line of work, but you can’t risk waiting for the right time.”

“I feel like I don’t have a choice but to put my personal life on hold whenever Supergirl is needed.”

“Kara.” She holds onto one of Supergirl’s hands. “You can’t do that. Trust me. It’s worth it. Being Supergirl all of the time would be like trying to do any job all of the time. Yes, Supergirl can end up being needed at any time, but you can’t wait by yourself for those moments. You need balance.”

A small smile tugs at the superhero’s lips. “Coming out has made you wise.”

Alex rolls her eyes and nudges her sister’s shoulder. “I’m being serious! You helped me see that, you know. I couldn’t have gone after Maggie without your support.” She smiles at her sister. “I couldn’t do what I do here if I didn’t have those moments with you or Maggie or our friends and family to look forward to when I step out of this building.”

“I feel like you’re trying to hint at something, but I don’t know what.”

“How about you tell me what you have been trying to figure out because that may be a whole lot easier than this little game you seem to have found yourself in?”

Supergirl nods slowly. She looks around the room, and past the glass windows. “Can we go to the training room?”

Without a word, Alex gets up and leads the way. She holds the door to the training room open and closes it behind Supergirl. She watches her sister sit on the edge of the platform and joins her. They sit in silence for a few moments. “I thought I was getting sick or something was wrong with me at first,” Supergirl says quietly in the silence of the room. Alex knows to let her process her thoughts, so she waits patiently. “I asked my mother about it, but she didn’t have anything. Then I thought Kal-El might know.” She wrings her hands together. “Now, I don’t think it has anything to do with me being Kryptonian.” Her eyes stare straight ahead. “When I liked James, I would feel warm and giggly at times.” Alex nods, and places one of her hands over her sister’s in silent encouragement. “It took me some time to figure out that what I have been feeling lately reminded me of that, but… it’s different now.” She goes silent.

After it seems the hero won’t be speaking up without prompting, Alex shifts closer before talking. “What kind of feelings are you having now?”

Her little sister swallows heavily. “It’s almost like when I first takeoff in flight. It’s somehow heavy and light in my stomach all at once. But it’s not unpleasant. Not at all.” She’s still looking ahead.

“Kara, I’m going to ask you something now, and I want you to not be scared to tell me the truth. Okay?” She squeezes the hand under hers. A nod is her answer. “Is there a specific person making you feel this way?”

Supergirl takes in a slow breath.  _ Is there?  _ She swallows as an image with green eyes come to mind.  _ Well, that’s… got to mean something. I haven’t… thought of her… in that way before. But… Is it Lena that makes me feel this way? Isn’t she the one I’m always around when it happens?   _ “Yes,” she says with a breath out.  _ But I don’t know what it means.  _

“Kara.” Alex grabs her sister’s chin between her thumb and forefinger. She waits for their eyes to meet. “You are my little sister. I love you. I always will. Okay?” The hero nods, and Alex drops her hand from her face. She takes in a slow breath. “When you are ready to talk about it, I will be here for you. You know that, right?” Another nod. “But you’re just now realizing who it is, aren’t you?”

_ I don’t know where these feelings came from.  _ She nods slowly a few times. “Yeah.” Her voice is small.

“You don’t have to know exactly what you’re feeling now, Kara. You don’t even have to give it a name. Just… be true to yourself, and don’t be afraid of what anyone will think. Okay?”

“Thanks, Alex.” She pulls Alex into a hug as tight as she dares.

Alex rubs her back. “Okay, now… how about we go figure out the rules to this game, yeah?”


	11. Figure Out the Rules

They stand up and head to the command center. On the way there, a buzzing comes from under Supergirl’s cape. She stops to pull out her superphone. Alex stops and raises an eyebrow at her sister. “It’s Lena.”

“On your superphone?”

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** Is the midget gone?

She decides to ignore the implications in her sister’s voice. “Yeah.” She types out a response.

 **Super Babe:** I think that might be offensive lol. He’s an imp. But no. He’s still here.

Supergirl looks up at her sister. “You don’t think he’d go after her again, do you?”

Alex shrugs. “We need to find some sort of pattern or something else to go off of.” Supergirl looks down at her phone again. “Winn is looking up some more information on him, but it’s not looking like there’s much.”

The hero puts her phone away. “Okay, sounds good. I have to go. Lena might have something useful.”

“Be careful.” Alex nods.

“I will.” She kisses her sister on the cheek and zooms out of the building.

Minutes later, Lena is turning at the familiar sound of Supergirl landing on her balcony. She stands to greet the hero as she enters her office. “Supergirl, thanks for coming.” Lena offers a smile to the superhero.

Supergirl smiles back instantly. “It’s no problem, Lena. I’ll always come.” The smile widens on Lena’s face, and Supergirl’s stomach flips. _No time for that right now, Kara. Get a grip._ The hero bites her lip.

Lena’s heart quickens its pace. She shakes her head, and walks around her desk to grab a file from the shelf on her wall. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to look through some of the files Lex stowed away. I found files on your imp friend.” _May as well answer her unasked question._ “Lex made a point to research common enemies of Superman.” She picks up and opens the file. “Apparently, he tried to tangle with the imp, but it didn’t work out for him.” She puts the file on her desk for Supergirl to look at. “It’s not much, but hopefully it can be added to whatever you have.”

Supergirl lets out a laugh, and shakes her head. “I don’t have much. What I thought I had wasn’t any use.”

“Go on.” Lena is completely enraptured by the woman.

She lets out a deep breath before speaking again. “I had this plan all worked out, because we found out that if he says his name backwards, he’ll be sent back to where he came from.”

“And you couldn’t get him to say it?”

“No!” Supergirl throws her hands in the air in frustration. “I **did** get him to say it. But it didn’t work!” She groans.

Lena breaks into an amused smile, and tries not to laugh at the frustration of her best friend. “What happened?”

“He told me that the rules are different each time, and I have to play his game.” Her voices raises, as she remembers what happened earlier. “After he pretended that it worked!”

The CEO bites her lip to hold back the laugh threatening to escape. “What?”

“I tricked him into saying it, and then he started acting like he was in pain, and he disappeared. I was relieved for half a second, and then he popped back in. He was laughing at me!” She crosses her arms, and looks out of the windows of the office.

Lena covers her mouth, and looks down a moment. Her shoulders shake ever so slightly with the barely contained laughter. She regains her composure after a brief moment. “If it helps,” She points to something in the file, “he doesn’t know how to lie.”

“What?” Supergirl looks at Lena’s face.

“He can play tricks and talks in circles, but,” She taps the paper, but Supergirl’s eyes stay on her face, “he cannot outright lie.” She looks up to see Supergirl’s eyes on her, and her breath catches in her throat.

 _I have… a lot to think about._ Supergirl can’t take her focus off of Lena’s eyes. “Um, that’s… interesting.” She shakes her head, and pulls her eyes to the file on Lena’s desk. “So it’s a riddle game.”

“Pardon?” Lena tilts her head in question.

“He sees this as a game. I have to win for him to leave.”

“What’s the game?”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know. He won’t even tell me the rules.”

“What did he tell you?” She leans against the back of her desk, giving Supergirl her full attention.

“That there are different rules when he comes for a specific reason. He said ‘the rules change.’ I asked him what he wants, and he only said he wants what I want. Which I don’t get, because I want him gone.”

Lena remains silent for a few moments, head tilted in thought. She opens her mouth to speak, but is interrupted by laughter and the sound of a balloon popping. The two women turn toward the couch, where Mr. Mxyzptlk is reclining. Supergirl stands protectively in front of Lena. The imp floats toward them. “Now!” He claps his hands once in excitement. “This is what I like to see!”


	12. A Hint

Mr. Mxyzptlk does a few loops in the air as he gets closer to Supergirl and Lena. “A Luthor and a Super working together!” He smiles at the two women. “How epic!”

“You know ‘Super’ isn’t really like a surname, right?” Supergirl crosses her arms. The imp only laughs again.

Supergirl hears Lena mumble under her breath, “That’s my line.”

 _Really? That’s what she gets from this situation._ The hero shakes her head and steps toward the imp. “What do you want?”

He stops laughing, and looks back and forth between the two women. “What you want. I told you that.”

“And how do you know what I want?”

“Not just you, Super.”

Supergirl doesn’t see Lena’s eyebrows furrow. _That’s odd,_ Lena thinks.

The imp laughs and starts flipping in the air again. Supergirl hears Lena moving behind her and looks over her shoulder to see her reaching into her purse on the desk. She sees the taser with her x-ray vision and reaches a hand out to touch Lena’s other hand while keeping her eyes on Mr. Mxyzptlk. Lena drops her hand and leaves the taser in her purse.

“Hey, can you just… give us a hint? This game can’t be much fun for you if I don’t actually try to play, right?” The floating man suddenly stops his aerial tricks and narrows his eyes at Supergirl. The office is silent again. Supergirl feels Lena moving again toward her taser. This time, she grabs Lena’s hand and tugs her away from her purse. Her lips curl up slightly when she hears Lena’s huff of frustration.

With a dinging sound, the imp’s bowler hat lights up like a lightbulb, and he smiles coyly. Supergirl tenses, and Lena squeezes her hand. Mr. Mxyzptlk points at them. “You won’t get anywhere without becoming a true team.” He disappears with the sound of faraway laughter.

Supergirl immediately drops Lena’s hand and turns to look at the CEO with her mouth slightly open. She moves her mouth a few times, trying to think of what to say. Lena raises an eyebrow at Supergirl. Without thinking before she speaks, Lena opens her mouth. “As cute as you are when you are speechless, it would be more useful if you put that hint to use.”

The hero’s eyes widen, and she feels her neck heat up. “I… uh…” She clears her throat. “Right. That hint.” She puts her hands on her hips and looks away in thought.

Lena walks around her desk and sits in her chair. “I have to be honest. I much prefer my job over superheroing.” She smirks at Supergirl, who is obviously annoyed. “Most of the people I encounter can at least be rationalized with on some level… and they don’t have an ability to appear out of nowhere.”

Supergirl groans, and drops herself into one of the chairs across from Lena. “This is a new one for me, actually. He makes me really miss the easier days, when I just had to knock out aliens.”

“I’m not sure he classifies as an alien.”

“Probably not.” They sit in silence for a few moments. “Most, not all, unfortunately, of the aliens that come here are refugees. Did you know that?” Blue eyes stare in green eyes. “Some are like me… we don’t have a planet to go back to. Some have to run away because their planets were under attack. Earth, maybe because of it’s youth, is seen as a relatively safe place to go. The aliens that are here to cause trouble are a minority, for sure, and those are the ones that I handle. This Mxy… he doesn’t fit into either of those categories. He’s not some refugee, and he actually doesn’t seem interested in Earth outside of messing with some people. Pranks.” She huffs again. “I was on the receiving end of some rather nasty ones when I was younger.”

“Now, it would seem we are both on the receiving end. So…” She leans on her forearms on the desk. “How do we get you to win the game?”

Supergirl’s eyebrows raise. “We?”

Lena shrugs. “Clearly, my work will continue to be interrupted, as he seems intent on including me in this little game. The sooner he goes home, the better. He has to have a weakness of some kind. Everyone has a kryptonite. You’ll just have to figure out what his is.”

 _Everyone has a kryptonite?_ Supergirl wants to ask Lena what her kryptonite is, but pushes the thought into the recesses of her mind. “A weakness…” She tilts her head in thought. The CEO watches her friend go deep in thought. After a few minutes, her eyes brighten with a thought. “Lena, you’re a genius!”

Slightly taken back by the loud voice, Lena sits back a little in her chair. “Well, I won’t argue with you on that, but what -”

Before she can finish talking, Supergirl is using her super speed. She drops a kiss on Lena’s cheek. “You’re the best. I’ll see you later.”

The words flow over Lena with a slight breeze from the hero’s departure. Her fingers touch the warm spot on her cheek before she can stop herself from doing something so cliche. _Get it together, Lena._ She pulls her hands away as if she was burnt and turns to the work on her desk. Putting her hand on the buzzer for Jess’ intercom, she makes a decision. “Jess?”

“Yes, Miss Luthor?”

“Please reschedule any meetings I have for the rest of the day.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With a nod, Lena picks up her pen to begin getting whatever work that she can accomplish done before another interruption.


	13. Everyone Has One

Yet again, Supergirl lands in the DEO to discuss her imp problem. “Winn!” She walks up to her friend’s desk and places a hand on the back of his chair.

“Yo!” He smiles up at her. “How’d it go with Mr. M?”

“Don’t ask. Did you find anything else on him?”

“No, but,” He starts typing, “I was able to use the signals given off by his rocket earlier to create a way to find him next time he creates something from the fifth dimension. Which, gotta say, is super cool. It’s right up there with your sister piloting your pod, and-”

“Winn.”

“Right! Yes, sorry.” He starts typing again. “So if he does anything, we’ll know.”

“Supergirl.” J’onn’s voice is behind them, and they both spin to look at him. “Were you unable to get him to say his name backwards?”

“No, I mean yes. I mean yes, he said his name backwards, but it didn’t work.” Supergirl responds.

“What? But that’s not -”

Supergirl interrupts Winn. “He said the rules are different each time. This is all some game that I have to win if I want him to go back.”

J’onn nods with a neutral expression. “What’s the game?”

“That’s what we have to find out.” Agent Danvers joins the conversation. “I’ve been working with Agent Vasquez to try to piece together any kind of clues from what he’s told Supergirl so far.”

“Oh!” Supergirl remembers the new information. “We found out that Mxy can’t lie. He can talk in circles and use word games, but he doesn’t know how to lie.”

“How do you know that?” Alex crosses her arms.

“Lena had some files on him that she shared with me.”

“We shouldn’t be involving Miss Luthor, a civilian.” J’onn’s voice is stern.

Supergirl winces slightly. “She kind of already is. He showed up there again, and I think both of us are playing the game.”

Alex’s eyebrows raise. “What did he do?”

“Nothing, exactly. He was mostly just annoying. I asked for a hint, but it wasn’t great.” Everyone looks at her expectantly. “Oh, he said something about having to be a team.”

“That was his hint?” Winn is confused.

“What were his exact words?” Alex asks.

“Um,” Supergirl tries to remember. “You won’t get anywhere without becoming a true team.”

“Aren’t we all already a team?” Winn tilts his head in thought.

Supergirl shrugs. “That’s what he said.”

“Vasquez?” Alex looks over her shoulder at the woman.

“Ma’am?” Vasquez stops her typing.

“Did you get all that?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

J’onn steps up again. “While they work on that riddle, is there anything else you found out?” He looks at Supergirl.

“In a way. He’s got to have a weakness, right? Everyone has their Kryptonite, right? Since Kryptonite is from where I came from, maybe Mxy has a weakness from where he came from.”

“So like something he created?” Alex asks.

“We may have something downstairs that can help us. There are many things down there, but it wouldn’t hurt to look,” J’onn adds.

“Right. I can run tests for anything that gives off traces of the fifth dimension.” Winn perks up in his seat.

“While Agent Schott is going through our storage, Agent-”

“Woah, woah, woah!” A beeping comes from Winn’s computer, and he begins typing. “Hang on, I’m getting a huge spike on the fifth dimension sensor.” He continues typing, while muttering, “I need a better name for it.” He pulls up a map on the screens on the wall. “There! Lots of activity going on.”

“Can you pull up a live feed?” Alex steps toward the table in front of the monitors.

“Uh, duh!” Winn types some more, and several images come to life in front of them.

One screen shows cars being thrown down the street with people running away. The other screens show different angles of the culprit of the throwing and screaming.

“What the hell is that?” Alex stares at the screens.

“It looks like a giant platypus.” Winn is in awe.

“Supergirl-” J’onn begins.

“I’m on it!” The hero shoots out of the DEO and flies through the skies of National City. She hones in on the sounds coming from across the city and throws herself into a three-point landing in front of the giant, pink platypus… with blue spots… and a collar. “Hey!” she shouts to get its attention.

The platypus turns to look at her, and its tail starts wagging. Supergirl’s eyes go wide, and she takes a few steps toward it, not entirely sure how to handle this. “What are you doing here?” The sound that comes from the brightly colored creature is a mixture of a turkey and the velociraptors from _Jurassic Park._ “Okay, not a talker.” She flies over its head, contemplating a course of action. It snaps around and tries to bite her. “Hey!” She dodges out of the way, and it angrily slaps its tail on the ground.

Supergirl flies to the end of its tail and grabs on with both hands, effectively stopping the wild thrashing. “I think you’ve caused enough property damage.” She lifts up into the sky, carrying the creature by its tail. It lets out a duck-like honk when its feet leave the asphalt. She starts to fly it out to the desert when she hears familiar laughter. “Oh no,” she says under her breath.

The laughter gets louder, and a balloon pop is heard just before the platypus disappears from thin air. Mxy’s head appears in front of her. “Do you think your CEO buddy likes bats?”

“What?” Supergirl practically growls out as she flies toward the head, but it disappears with a laugh.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Soooooo... I wrote that chapter today finally. THAT chapter. The one. Y'all...


	14. The First Lunch

_Kara wasn’t sure why, but she felt the need to walk to walk to Clay’s Cafe for her lunch interview with Lena._

_She had interviewed her before, but that was on assignment for a specific reason; now, Lena had invited her specifically. Receiving the text from Lena was a shock. She was talking with James about her excitement over her latest article when the text buzzed onto her phone. James had given her a strange look at the sight of her large smile directed at her phone. He didn’t feel comfortable questioning her though. Her thoughts raced through wondering what Lena could possibly have to share with her. They have only had three interactions in person, but Kara was interested in getting to know her more._ It’s not because she’s a Luthor, _Kara realized._ I wouldn’t want someone just being my friend because of who my cousin is.

_She rounded the corner on 1st street, and idly wondered if Lena was truly interested in a friendship. As bubbly as Kara’s personality is, she doesn’t have the most expansive group of friends. Thinking about Lena as a possible friend was exciting - intoxicating almost. With Cat’s departure last week, Kara only had a female relationship with her sister. Even then, Alex is her sister - it’s not quite the same. And Cat was her mentor and boss. Kara has never had this sort of friendship before. With her awkward history of friends falling in love with her… let’s just say Kara is ready for something new._

_So lost in her thoughts, Kara nearly walked past the door of the restaurant. “Oops,” She muttered under her breath, and stumbled over her feet to go back to the door. Pushing up her glasses, she checked to make sure there wasn’t an audience for that lovely moment. Her eyes widened at the sound of a light chuckle. She spun around, and was met with the sight of Lena Luthor with an amused smile._

_“Are you alright, Kara?” Her voice was dripping with amusement._

_“Um,” She straightened, and pushed up her glasses again. “Yes. Yup. All good.”_

_Lena did that low chuckle again, and quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t worry. I don’t think anyone saw that apart from myself.”_

_Kara winced slightly. “That doesn’t really help.”_

_Shaking her head, Lena stepped past Kara to open the door for her. “After you.”_

_With a smile, Kara walked through the open door. “Thanks.”_

_Lena stepped up beside Kara, who was about to speak to the hostess. “Reservation for Livia.”_

_“Yes, right this way.” The woman directed Kara and Lena to a table in the back corner. “Your server will be right with you.” She offered them a smile with their menus._

_“Thank you,” Kara beamed at her. She turned to Lena, sitting across from her. “Livia?” She asked with a tilt of her head._

_Lena waved off the question, and opened her menu on the table. “My name isn’t exactly unknown.”_

_Kara nodded in understanding. “I see.” She didn’t know the woman enough to ask for further details on the name choice, so she turned her attention to her own menu. “Have you been here before?”_

_“No, but my assistant is a fan, and she has a knack for getting to know the best local eateries.”_

_“Oh! I love food, too! I’m a sucker for potstickers! Is she from here?”_

_“No, she made the move to National City with me.”_

_“Wow! That’s… wow, that’s awesome! I’m glad you had someone you were familiar with to help you with the move.” She adjusted her glasses. “I’m not how I would responded if Cat Grant had asked me to do that.”_

_Lena was saved from answering by the server. “Hey, I’m Malia.” She went through the usual routine, and left with their orders and menus._

_“So Cat Grant?” Lena took a sip of her water._

_Kara laughed a little. “I guess I didn’t tell you, but before I was a reporter, I was Cat Grant’s assistant for over two years.”_

_“Wow, you must have been a truly remarkable assistant.” Lena smirked._

_Looking down, Kara adjusted her glasses again. “I don’t know about that.”_

_“Ever modest,” Lena crossed her legs at the knees. “It’s endearing.”_

_Kara inhaled a slow, deep breath with a bashful smile. “Oh,” She waved off the comment. “I… thank you.” She fidgeted with the napkin on her lap._

_“It’s my pleasure.” Lena’s eyebrow quirked. “As for Jess… she wanted to move out here. She has some family here, and I think she was getting tired of the east coast, frankly.”_

_The reporter nodded in understanding. “I’m uh actually from...my adoptive family lived in Midvale, so I know how different it is from here.”_

She’s adopted? _Lena thought in surprise._ Wow. Interesting. _“So do you prefer California?”_

_Kara thought for a moment before slowly nodding. “I like the opportunities I’ve had here, and the people I have had the chance to meet.” She smiled significantly at Lena. “Present company included.”_

_“Such a flatterer.” Lena laughed to take any sting out of the words._

_With a shrug, Kara responded. “I only speak the truth.”_

_Lena looked down with a smile tugging at her lips. “An honorable quality for a reporter. I can’t wait to see what else you do with your words.”_

_It was Kara’s turn to look down with a nervous laugh. “Hopefully, my boss will see that soon.”_

_“Oh?”_

_Kara waved off her concern. “We had a bit of a rocky start.” She laughed, and pushed up her glasses. “It’s kind of a funny story looking back on it. He refused to accept that Miss Grant made me a reporter. I had to convince him.”_

_“I’m glad that worked out for you. There’s certainly no reporter I would trust more speaking about L-Corp.”_

_Their food was brought out, and Kara had to contain her urge to inhale the food set before her. They thanked the server, and focused on the food before them - Kara with slightly more food. Kara held back a groan at the first bite, and closed her eyes at the sensations on her taste buds._

_Once again amused by Kara, Lena smirked after swallowing her smaller bite. “I take it you are enjoying that?” Lena nodded toward Kara’s plate._

_Kara was enjoying her meal too much to be embarrassed at the moment. She swallowed hastily before answering. “It’s amazing. Please tell Jess that she can recommend restaurants to me anytime.” She grinned widely at Lena._

_Lena let out a chuckle that minutely shook her shoulders. “I’ll be sure to pass along the message.”_

_The answering smile from Kara brings a genuine smile to Lena’s. “I can’t wait!”_

_Chuckling despite herself, Lena shakes her head, and continues to eat._


	15. A Shift in Relationship

_After a few minutes of eating with occasional speaking, Kara remembered the real reason why they are having lunch together. “Oh! I almost forgot why you wanted to have lunch with me. Sorry!” She chuckled. “I’ve just been here talking your ear off.”_

_“No, no, it’s fine, Kara.” Lena smiled, hiding her disappointment at the conversation shifting to more business-related territory._

_With only a little bit of food left on her plate, Kara pulled her notepad out to set beside her plate. “I know you’re super busy and all. You wanted to do this interview, and we’ve spent half of the time talking about food. And you must -”_

_“Kara,” She held a hand up to stop the rambling. “You don’t have to apologize. I enjoy the conversation with you.”_

_Kara’s answering smile could power the entire restaurant. “I like talking to you too, Lena.”_

_Lena found her mask threatening to crack for the first time in a very long time, and she had to refrain from reacting to simple words that came as so genuine. “I’m glad we can agree on that then.”_

_The reporter cleared her throat. “So,” She clicked her pen open. “What did you want to share with me?” Her smile was accompanied with a tilt of her head._

_After spending the morning coming up with the perfect topic of discussion, Lena was now faced with making it a reality. “With the move across country…” The CEO went on to discuss her plans to adjust L-Corp’s monetary ventures to include charitable avenues. She purposefully left out her years of anonymously donating to various charities from her personal funds. That was a piece of Lena she dutifully kept to herself._

_“I plan on personally vetting each charity myself to ensure donations will be used in the most meaningful and beneficial ways possible.” Lena did not want to risk money going to a company that would use it for any negative purposes._

_“And do you have any possible charities in mind?” Kara was absolutely enraptured by Lena’s words._

_Nodding, Lena took a sip of her water before continuing. “I do, but I’m not ready to disclose those yet.” The truth was that she only contacted them that morning. “The announcements will be made at a fundraising gala.”_

_“That’s great,” Kara took a few more notes. She smiled at Lena, and clicked her pen before setting it down on her notepad._

_“Can I get you two anything else?” The server walked up with a smile. Both women declined with smiles of their own. Somehow, Lena pulled her credit card out without Kara noticing. She handed it to the server._

_“Lena, no, I can -” Kara started to reach for her purse._

_“Kara, I invited you. It’s on me.” She said with a no nonsense tone, as the server walked away._

_Predictably, the reporter fidgeted with her glasses with a nervous smile. “Thank you, Lena.”_

_“It’s my pleasure.”_

_“And thank you for the interview, by the way.”_

_“No, thank you,” Lena smiled at the woman across from her._ For the positive press and for the company.

_“Here you go.” The server returned with the receipt. “Have a great day, you two!” They thanked her, and turned back to each other._

_“Thanks again, Lena. This was nice.”_

_“Indeed.”_

_“Next time, it’s on me.” Kara smiled. “If you’re interested. And not, you know, just to interview. We could just get lunch.” She shrugged. Lena raised her eyebrow, and Kara felt the need to ramble more. “Or I could bring food to your office some time. I know how busy CEOs are. You know, being Cat Grant’s assistant and all. But should do lunch again.”_

_Lena laughed. “Lunch again, huh?”_

_Kara shrugged. “Sure, that’s what friends do.” She smiled as if it was the most casual thing to say._

Friends, huh? _She kept the thought to herself, and finished her glass of water. “Sounds lovely, Kara.”_

_“Great!” Kara smiled fully. “I can’t wait!” Lena’s phone beeped from her purse, and Lena gave an apologetic smile. “Is it time to go?”_

_“Yes, thank you again for meeting with me.” They both stood up from the table._

_“Of course. Anytime, Lena! You have my number now.” Kara smiled, and took a step toward Lena to give her a hug. She stopped her instinct to hug a friend without question, remembering that she doesn’t know Lena that well. Lena also didn’t seem like a tactile person. “This was fun.”_

_“It was.” They began walking to the door. Kara jumped ahead to hold it open this time with a smile. Lena turned around once she stepped outside, and faced Kara. “I hope Snapper doesn’t give you a hard time.” She smiled._

_Kara laughed, and pushed up her glasses. “I won’t hold my breath. I’ll let you know though!” Her excitement was almost contagious._

_Lena shook her head in amusement. “Have a good day, Kara.” She started to walk away._

_“You too, Lena! Text me later, okay?”_

_A smirk found its way onto Lena’s face. “Okay, Kara.” Lena’s laugh floated back to Kara’s ears as she watched the CEO walk to her waiting car._

_“Bye, Lena!” She waved when Lena got to the car._

_“Goodbye, Kara.” Lena laughed again, and entered the back seat. Darias closed the door behind her, and she immediately pulled her phone out to check emails missed in the past hour. After a few moments, her eyes went unseeing as she lost focus. Her mind slipped to the blonde woman she just had lunch with under the guise of an interview._ No, it was for the interview. That really is the kind of press L-Corp needs. _She reminded herself._

I’ve been here for less than three months now. Thanks to several assassination attempts, my name is known around the city already. Fortunately, my face hasn’t become... as known… yet. It’s really only a matter of time though. It could be worse, I suppose. At least the local Super is more likeable, and appears to be giving me a chance. That smile is too bright to be entirely fake. Even I can see that.

Interesting that she decided to become a reporter after I got here. Perhaps, she saw it as a way to have something to write about that not many others can. Her approach is favorable over her cousin’s. _Lena sat back, her phone forgotten in her lap._ How come nobody knew he had a cousin until last year? Surely, she didn’t just get here. Obviously… she spoke of growing up in Midvale. Why was she taken in by some other family? Wouldn’t it have been a better adjustment for her, if her cousin took her under his… cape?

 _While preparing for the move, Lena had added Supergirl to her list of research topics. She now understood why CatCo seemed to be Supergirl’s official media outlet. The fresh CEO had wanted to laugh at the absurdity when she met Kara Danvers. In a way, it is hiding in plain sight._ Maybe it’s a family trait. _Lena thought about the many articles Clark Kent had done on Superman._

_Her thoughts circled around L-Corp and her new… friend while she walked into her company. The moment the elevators opened to show her floor, she stepped out in all of her glory. On her way past Jess’ desk, she slowed down._

_“Jess, bring your tablet.”_

_“Yes, Miss Luthor.” Jess hurried around her desk, and followed Lena into her office._

_“Any confirmations for the gala next week?” She spoke as she walked to get water on her way to sit at her desk._

_“Yes, ma’am. Everything is confirmed, and needing your final approval.” They do a run through of all of the details - from the venue set up to catering. Invitations had been sent out, and Lena’s chosen charity would be contacted. “Is that all, ma’am?”_

_“Actually, can you add one more thing to the menu before sending it to the caterers?” She waited for Jess to pull up the specified information on her tablet. “Have them add some fresh potstickers of at least three varieties.”_

_“Yes, ma’am.” Jess, ever the professional, knew not to question her boss._

_“Thank you, Jess. That’s all for now.” She heard Jess tapping on her tablet on the way out of her office, and turned her focus to her laptop. “Now, I just have to figure out how and when to invite her.”_


	16. Woman in Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may or may not have some of my own flirting style...

In a blur, Supergirl speeds through the skies to L-Corp. “Winn,” She speaks into her ear piece. “Anything on L-Corp being attacked?”

“No, nothing. Hang on… Ah, looks like some thugs with big guns.”

A frustrated groan bubbles in Supergirl’s chest. “I’m on it.” She hears sirens, and picks up her speed. Within seconds, she’s landing outside of L-Corp, and speeding into the building. She freezes at the sight before her.

Five men in black are laid out on the ground, and their weapons are in a pile near a security guard. A familiar chuckle catches Supergirl’s attention, and she turns to find the source. Her eyebrows almost disappear into her hairline.

“L-Lena?” The woman doesn’t seem to hear her. She watches for a few seconds.

* * *

 

_“Do you love her?”_

_Alex nearly choked on her beer at the sudden question. She carefully swallowed the liquid. Her eyes moved from the movie playing before them to Kara’s recently opened birthday present on the coffee table to the beer in her hands. “Who?” She refuses to look at Kara_

_Kara’s eyes stayed on the television. “Maggie, of course.”_

_“Kara, we’ve only been together less than two months.” She snuck a glance at her sister, who was still looking at the movie._

_She shrugged. “So?”_

_Alex shook her head, and ran a hand through her hair. She looked back at the movie._

_“Was that you shaking your head to say ‘no’?”_

_“I… haven’t thought about it.”_

_“Really?”_

_“No.” Kara turned to sit sideways on the couch to give Alex her full attention. Alex let out a sigh, and leaned her side on the back of the couch to face her little sister. “I try not to think about it.”_

_“Why?”_

_Alex tilted her head in thought. “I… I thought after I discovered… after I came to terms… after I came out, that there wouldn’t be anything else new.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I’ve had relationships before… well, you know. I know it’s cliche to say that now I understand what people talk about when they have deeper feelings, but… it’s more than that.”_

_Kara’s face conveyed no hint of judgement. “I think things are cliche for a reason sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with that.”_

_“Is that why you always want to watch the rom-coms?” Alex teased._

_“You’re trying to change the subject.”_

_“I knew teaching you interrogation tactics would be a bad idea.”_

_“Alex.”_

_She sighed. “What I feel for Maggie is very new. It all is. Not in a bad way though! God, no, I’m not complaining. It’s just…”_

_“Just?”_

_“I have no prior knowledge to base how I should act off of.”_

_“Alex, this isn’t a mission. It’s a relationship. It’s love.”_

_Alex rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. I guess it’s a little… scary having someone come into my life at this point that I can care so much for.” They are quiet for a few minutes. “She… I started to fall for her before we were even together. Before I even knew.”_

_“When was that?”_

_A slight wince appears on Alex’s face. “I started to question if my feelings were something other than friendship when I had to hear about or see her other love interests. It sparked something inside of me.”_

_“Because they were women?”_

_Nodding, Alex said, “I think that’s part of it. I also just didn’t like the idea of someone having that kind of relationship with her. I was shocked to find myself jealous for seemingly no reason.”_

_“But it wasn’t for no reason.”_

_“No. No, it wasn’t.”_

* * *

 

Lena is standing very close to a woman dressed in black. _Who’s wearing a cape in my city?_ The crinkle appears on her forehead. _Since when do I say this is my city?_ Supergirl, suddenly uncomfortable, watches the mystery woman touch Lena’s elbow as she leans in to say something in Lena’s ear. One of Lena’s eyebrows raise and her head tilts. Shaking herself out of her shock, Supergirl speeds to stand beside Lena. Her back is slightly angled to face the stranger. “Are you okay?” She checks over her friend for any signs of injury.

Lena notices Supergirl with a look of surprise that slowly turns into a pleased smile. “Supergirl!” Supergirl tilts her head with furrowed brows. “Ah,” Lena shakes her head into focus. “Yes, I’m fine.” Her eyes flick to the other woman.

“Are you sure? What happened? Is this all of them? Did anyone get hurt?”

“Supergirl,” Lena puts a hand on top of one of Supergirl’s that she was using while speaking, and she gently pushes it down to the hero’s side before releasing it. “We are all fine. It was taken care of quickly. The police are on the way.”

“What happened?”

“An attempted robbery with human weapons… this time. Everything is fine now.”

The woman in black and red clears her throat, and Supergirl glances over her shoulder to see red hair framing a face with a smirk to rival any of Lena’s. “Yes, we’re fine here uh…” Her eyes don’t leave Lena’s face.

“Supergirl,” the hero supplies.

“Ha!” The woman is quick to stop her obviously condescending guffaw. “Super **girl.** I’ve heard of you.” She finally turns to Supergirl and does a thorough head-to-toe sweep with her eyes. “Don’t worry, the women have things taken care of here.”

National City’s Darling scoffs incredulously, and her mouth moves as she tries to formulate a response. Supergirl ignores the sounds of police officers entering the building to speak with the security guard and take away the criminals. All she can manage is a somewhat strangled, “What!” She points a finger at the woman. “Wait. I know who you are…” Her eyes narrow on the symbol on the woman’s chest. She crosses her arms and dares a quick glance at Lena, whose eyebrows are raised in amusement. “You’re a long way from home. National City doesn’t exactly have many dark alleys to hide in.”

Batwoman shrugs arrogantly, and turns back to Lena. “I don’t see anyone else complaining.” She smirks again.

“What are you even doing here?” Supergirl huffs.

“Apparently, I’m saving a brilliant CEO’s company from thugs while National City’s little hero plays in the skies.” A ghost of a wink is directed toward Lena.

Lena’s breath catches in her throat and her pulse quickens. She purses her lips and quirks an eyebrow at the red-haired woman before her. _What have I gotten into this time… Was the little man not enough for one day…_ “I appreciate the help, Batwoman. I don’t want to think of the damage they might have caused had you not shown up when you did.”

Batwoman breaks out into a downright sultry grin. “All in a day’s work, Miss Luthor.” She practically husks out Lena’s name.

The CEO takes a deep breath. “Please call me Lena.”

Supergirl’s eyes go wide. She clears her throat.

Slowly, Batwoman turns her head toward the alien with an annoyed expression. “Oh, you’re still here.”

Lena watches Supergirl’s eyes narrow at Batwoman. _I really shouldn’t let this continue, but…_

“Yes! I’m still here. This is my city, remember? And Lena is my…” Her eyes move to Lena’s face and back so quickly, Lena misses it. “Friend. I’ve been protecting L-Corp since day one.”

“Maybe I can offer you a little vacation then.” Her eyes track back to Lena. “Everyone deserves some time to…” She pauses to look Lena up and down. “Relax.”

“Seriously… what are you doing here?”

Batwoman gives the impression of rolling her eyes without actually having to. “What does it look like?”

“It looks like you managed to knock out a few humans with guns, and now you think you can just take over.”

That brings a laugh out of Batwoman. “Oh yeah, you’re an alien. How could I forget?”

The CEO’s expression loses some of its amusement, and she internally winces. _God, I hope I didn’t used to sound like that. Shit… I probably did._

“Maybe you should stop taking so many hits to the head.” Supergirl spits back at Batwoman.

Lena’s eyes widen at that comment. _I’ve never seen her like this._

“It’s cute that you think someone could actually get a hand on me.” Batwoman oozes confidence. She turns back to Lena with a grin. “At least not without my permission.”

 _Could she be more obvious?_ Lena thinks. _Well it certainly is different that what I’m used to with-_

“And when was the last time you had to fight a giant alien, hmm?” Supergirl defends her fighting prowess.

“Oh, is that the only fight you’re capable of? Pity, I’m much more… flexible than that.” She looks directly at Lena when she finishes her sentence.

“Is that why you need to buy so many toys in order to fight?”

“I don’t need the toys to have my fun.”

Lena clears her throat, unwilling to let this go on further. “I appreciate what you both have done to help L-Corp.” She takes a moment to look each woman in the eye. “While it’s a pleasure to work with other women that are making waves in traditionally male-dominated fields, I do have to get back to my office.”

Supergirl takes a step closer to Lena and tilts her head closer. “I can escort you up-” She’s cut off by the sound of a crash outside of the building. All three women turn toward the front of the building.

Batwoman looks at Kara after a moment and smirks. “Well, that sounds right up your alley, Supergirl.”

Her head snaps back to glare at Batwoman. She opens her mouth to protest, but Lena places a hand on her arm. Supergirl looks at Lena. “Let me know if you need me.” The blonde spares one more glare at Batwoman before vanishing, a gust of wind stirring Batwoman’s cape around her legs.

“I can see you back up to your office. I have no doubt that you can more than handle yourself, but,” She smirks, “I’d love to hear more about L-Corp.”

Lena raises an eyebrow and lifts her chin.


	17. One of Those Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to apologize again for the short chapters! Like I said... I broke up my usually long chapters in order to have time to keep up the writing. Now that I'm all caught up, I'll just post rather quickly now, so we can all get to the good stuff.

Supergirl flies out to the streets outside of L-Corp to find utter chaos. The traffic lights are blinking in various patterns, and cars are swerving around a multiple car accident in the center of an intersection. “Supergirl,” Winn’s voice sounds in her ears as she rushes to move an elderly woman about to be hit by a motorcycle. “I’m getting readings from the imp there.”

“Just great,” she grumbles under her breath and flies to the intercept a truck screeching its breaks on the way to the intersection. The truck is stopped within seconds, and the hero switches her attention to screaming from one of the wrecked cars. Easily, she rips off a door of one of the cars where a young boy is trapped. He crawls out of the broken door and scrambles to find his footing. “Hey, easy. Paramedics are on their way.” She can hear the sirens coming closer.

Looking around, she sees that cars are now at a standstill coming toward the intersection. She hears an odd sound coming from one of the crashed cars and x-rays the car for the source. “Crap,” she whispers. “Stay here,” she tells the boy before stepping closer to the other car. In a blur of motion, she opens the door and pulls out the unconscious driver. She goes back and lays him on the ground beside the little boy. Rushing back to the car, she blasts a burst of freeze breath to the front of the car to keep it from exploding.

The sirens are now entering the intersection. “Supergirl!” A police officer jogs up to her. “Thanks for the help.” He begins directing an ambulance nearby.

“Of course.” She smiles.

“Come in, Supergirl.”

Supergirl steps away. “I’m here.”

“Uh.” Supergirl can hear the wince in his tone. “We’ve got another one.”

Sighing, she rubs her head. “What is it?”

“He set off all of the fire hydrants at an elementary school.”

“Which school?”

“Tippy Creek on upper west side.”

“I’m on my way.”

Supergirl checks on the progress in the traffic incident before taking off to the other side of town. She takes the minute of flight to think of rather colorful words to describe her thoughts toward Mr. Mxyzptlk at the moment.

The sound of water hitting the ground with great pressure fills her ears. She hovers over the school for a moment, seeing children being ushered away from the rushing waters. Mr. Mxyzptlk timed the eruption of the water with the students being let out of school for the day. She’s not sure if she’s imagining it or not, but his laughter is ringing in the back of her senses.

“Today is not turning out to be my day.” she says through gritted teeth.

She flies down toward a woman that slipped under the pressure of the water running over her high heels. In one swoop, she pulls the woman into her arms and deposits her near the entrance of the school. “Are you okay?”

The disheveled, drenching woman can only nod with wild eyes. “Y-yes, thanks Supergirl.”

Supergirl nods and flies to the nearest fire hydrant. “Winn!”

“Yo?”

“How do you turn these things off?”

“Um…” She can hear his typing through the connection. “Is the cover still there? It will be hanging down from a chain. Or did he just completely break it open?”

“The cover, I guess, is hanging from a chain.”

“Easy peasy! So first thing you’re gonna have to do is turn the water pressure off.”

“How do I do that?”

“There should be a bolt on the top that has five sides.”

“Yup. What do I do?”

“I’m assuming he didn’t leave a wrench, did he?”

“Winn.” Her tone holds a warning.

“You have super strength, Kara. Grab the bolt, and start twisting.”

She pinches the bolt between two fingers. After a few tries to get a good grip on the wet metal, she manages to twist the valve shut. “Done.”

“Cool, now twist the cover back on.”

“That’s one down. 15 more to go.” She speeds around the school and turns off five more by the time the fire trucks show up.

The next fire hydrant she gets to is different. “Um… Winn.”

“What’s up?”

“This one looks… eaten.”

“Huh?”

“It uh looks like something took a bite out of the top of it. Water is just shooting straight up.” She looks up at the water spraying into the air, standing just out of the splash zone.

“Mind if we give it a go, Supergirl?” A few firefighters job up to her.

She smiles and motions with her hand toward the impromptu water fountain. “You know better than me.” She laughs.

“Thanks for getting those other ones so fast.” one of them says with a smile. “I can put in a good word for ya if ya ever wanna change jobs to join us.”

The hero laughs. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She watches them for a moment before Winn’s voice is in her ear again.

“Hey… Supergirl…” His tone matches that of someone about to deliver unfortunate news with some guilt.

“Not again.” She groans, but hears screaming before Winn can elaborate.

Across the field from her, she sees children scattering in different directions. She realizes they are all looking up, so she follows their gaze. “What the…”

Her jaw drops open at a creature flying overheard, a very familiar creature. It swoops down toward the children, letting out a screech that breaks Supergirl out of her shock. “Getting another signal from him,” Winn tells her.

“I see it.” She takes off, but isn’t quick enough. The creature takes one of the children into its claws and soars into the sky.

“What is it?”

“It’s a freaking pterodactyl, Winn!” she shouts while flying after the creature.

“You mean like a big bird?”

“No, Winn! I mean a dinosaur plucked right out of _Jurassic Park!_ ”

“Oh my god! That’s so cool! Can you bring it-”

“Winn!” Supergirl is completely exasperated. She catches up to the latest creation of Mr. Mxyzptlk and flies in front of it to block its path. “I’m really over all of these tricks!” A now annoyingly familiar laughter tickles the back of her senses.

The dinosaur screeches at her and stops its trajectory. It flaps its wings to maintain its position several yards across from her.

“You really should leave innocent children out of your games.” The child is dangling unconscious from its claws.

It opens its mouth to screech again. She aims a blast of freeze breath directly at its head, effectively freezing its beak-like mouth in a block of ice. The sudden weight shocks the prehistoric animal, and it begins to plummet back to the earth. Before it can drop a foot, Supergirl passes underneath to snatch the child from its claws. She clutches the child close to her body and watches the dinosaur fall. After a few seconds, its body turns into bubbles that float across the sky.

She lets out a heavy sigh mixed with a groan. “It’s gone, Winn.”

“It got away?”

“Not exactly.” Supergirl shakes her head of the frustration she can feel bubbling to the surface, and she flies the child back to the nearest group of people on the ground. Several teachers run straight to her. “She’s okay.” She hands the child off to the anxious teachers.

“Thank you, Supergirl!” One of the teachers smiles gratefully.

“Is everyone alright here?” Supergirl puts on a smile to mask her exhaustion and frustration for the pranks she has been having to deal with today.

“Yes. It’s so crazy. School let out, and then they all go off.”

Supergirl puts her hands on her hips, looking out to where the firefighters are shutting off the last fire hydrant. The sound of a throat clearing comes through her earpiece. “Nooo,” she whines under her breath, and starts walking away from the people checking on the girl she rescued.

“Hey, buddy.” Winn drags out the word “buddy.”

“Please don’t tell me there’s a giant marshmallow man attacking the city, or flying unicorns spitting confetti.”

“Well that just sounds ridiculous.”

“Winn.” Supergirl’s tone is anything but patient.

“Yeah, so we’ve got another one.”

“Of course we do,” the hero grumbles under her breath.

* * *

“What is it now, Winn?” Supergirl takes off into the sunset-colored sky while he speaks.

“Our imp friend is getting more intense.” He chooses his words carefully. “There’s a security breach at the desert DEO location and traces of the fifth D all over the place.”

“I’m on my way. What’s the breach?”

Winn’s voice becomes more anxious. “Some sort of tech malfunction with the holding cells. We can’t contact them to find out exactly what.”

“I’m going in now.” Supergirl shoots into the door of the first DEO location she worked in, and she is greeted with flaring alarms amongst the chaos. Some agents are at computers trying to gain control over their systems, while other agents are coming around a corner in full tactical gear.

“Supergirl!” A familiar agent notices her. “Our systems are on the fritz. We can’t get into the back half of the building. The emergency security doors are jammed closed.” The DEO agents are effectively stuck in the main area of the building with access to only the front entrances. They are completely cut off from the holding cells among other rooms.

Far beyond maintaining any patience for pleasantries or plans, Supergirl lets out a small growl. “I’ll take care of it.” She vanishes toward the back holding cells in a streak of blue and red.

The hero doesn’t hesitate for a moment, using her momentum to burst straight through the thick metal door. She stops halfway down the hall, and takes in the silence around her. _That damn laugh_ she is beginning to hate finds her ears again. She groans and jumps slightly when she hears a crash. “What now?” Supergirl mumbles to herself, taking off after the sound.

Turning down another hallway, she flies into one of the garages to have to suddenly duck under a motorcycle hurling through the air toward her. She winces at the large crash of the motorcycle hitting the rock wall behind her, before turning with a glare toward the source.

“Hey!” she shouts at Mr. Mxyzptlk, who is laughing full-heartedly and rolling in the air. “Those are expensive!”

He suddenly stops and turns an innocent expression on Supergirl. “What?” He shrugs nonchalantly with a head tilt. “It wasn’t me.”

“It’s been you and your crazy creations all day,” she nearly shouts.

“Ah, shucks. I thought we were having so much fun.” He sounds forlorn and slumps his shoulders. “Oh, well!” He instantly perks up, clapping his hands. “Maybe we can have some fun with my new friend I just made.”

Another loud sound interrupts Supergirl from responding. This one is from the far side of the garage.

“Uh oh.” He giggles. “Looks like you just missed him. Toodaloo.” Again, he pops out of sight.

Supergirl groans in frustration and flies across the garage to find what made the crash. She stops her flight to gape at the large hole allowing the hero a view of the stars. Her sigh turns into a growl before she flies out into the night.

She follows considerable footprints with an impressive gait across the sands. A rumbling growl echoes through the night, followed by a dark object soaring toward Supergirl. Ducking out of the way, she watches a cactus land on the group behind her. _Well that’s just rude._ Another growl reaches her ears and she runs to follow it. A dark figure, easily eight feet tall, stands across from her.

“You would make a fine profit.” A grumbly voice leaves the lips of the Gordanian, a slave-selling alien species.

“Unfortunately, I’m not interested in being sold,” Supergirl quips. “And you are going back.” She flies straight to him with both fists outstretched in front of her. Using her full body to add force behind the blow, she drives her hit through the alien to send him back several yards. He lands on the ground with a thud and a cloud of dust.

He grunts and tries to stand. “You vile -”

The hero effectively shuts his coming insult up with a right uppercut to the chin, sending him back to land unconscious on the ground. “Winn.” She taps her earpiece.

“Supergirl.” Alex’s voice cracks through her ear.

“Alex, Mxy let an alien out. I’ve got it now.”

“Take it back there. They’ve got things under control again. Then come by here.”

Supergirl lets out a sigh. “Is there another Mxy problem?”

“No, but Winn may have found something.”

She nods, shoulders sagging in relief. “I’ll see you soon.”

* * *

“We need to find a way to apprehend Mxyzptlk before he can cause larger problems.” J’onn is standing with his arms crossed at the table in the command center. Supergirl is glaring at the screen showing different events from the day with her arms crossed. Alex’s hands are on the table, leaning forward slightly. Agent Vasquez is standing beside her, and Winn is on the opposite side of Supergirl. A metal case is on the table in front of him, and he’s tampering with a scanner of some kind.

Alex glances sideways at her sister before speaking. “We’re still working on piecing together his riddle, but we haven’t found any records on him apart from saying his name backwards.”

“We have reason to believe that he is solely interested in Supergirl, rather than attacking the city. His attacks have all been timed based on Supergirl’s location and availability,” Agent Vasquez offers.

“Agent Schott, what have you found?” The director turns his gaze to the man tinkering with the scanner.

“Right.” He jerks up slightly. “I went through our storage, and the only thing that triggered anything on the scanner was this.” He taps the closed case in front of him before opening it. A token with a blue stone in the center is placed in the middle of the foam insert of the case.

“What is that?” Alex asks, watching her sister glaring at the video of Mr. Mxyzptlk at the other DEO facility.

“I  couldn’t find anything on it,” Winn says regretfully. “It barely registers on the scanner, so I can’t tell for sure if it came from the 5th D, or if it was made for it.”

“How long will it take for you to find out?” J’onn asks.

Winn waves his free hand around, eyes on the scanner in his hands. “Uh… a few hours at least.” He winces.

“What are we supposed to do about him in the meantime?” Alex gestures toward the imp on the screen. Supergirl finally breaks from her glare, and looks at her sister.

“For the time being, it would seem Mr. Mxyzptlk is taking a break. We haven’t had any sign of him in hours,” J’onn answers.

“I don’t like that we have to wait for him. James and I were able to get him to come to us.” Supergirl is clearly frustrated.

“Bringing him to us won’t help us solve the riddle, or find out how to get rid of him.” Alex gives her little sister a raised eyebrow look.

“Supergirl, until we have a way to weaken him or send him back to the fifth dimension, we need to remain on standby,” J’onn states with a note of finality.

The hero lets out a deep breath, and puts her hands on her hips. _I don’t like waiting._

Alex nudges Supergirl’s shoulder, but keeps her eyes on J’onn. “While Winn runs tests, we’ll see what headway we can make with his riddle.” She gestures to Agent Vasquez and Supergirl.

“Excellent. Get to it.” J’onn nods and walks away to speak with other agents.

Nudging Supergirl’s shoulder again, Agent Danvers gestures with her head toward a hallway before walking in that direction with Agent Vasquez at her side. Supergirl follows them to one of the meeting rooms. She slumps into one of the sem-comfortable chairs, while the two agents begin typing away at laptops.

“Do you think we can talk J’onn into letting us order delivery?” Supergirl plucks at the edge of her cape. Alex only purses her lips and glances at the hero. “Ugh.” Supergirl pushes herself out of the chair. “I’ll be back.” She’s gone before Alex can argue.

“She’s in a good mood,” Agent Vasquez quips without looking up from her laptop.

Alex shrugs. “I don’t think she’s really eaten today with all the running around. She’ll be better once she eats her weight in something greasy.”

Vasquez lets out a single chuckle with a quirk of her lip. “Isn’t that how you got her to do all your chores growing up?”

“Hey!” Alex’s head snaps to her. “Since when do you chat socially?”

The agent scoffs at her. “I do no such thing.”

Alex raises her eyebrow with a pointed look at her colleague. “Then how exactly did that topic come up?”

She shrugs and goes back to typing. “Maybe I just overheard her talking to Agent Schott.”

After a few moments staring at Vasquez with narrowed eyes, a knowing smirk slowly appears on Alex’s face. “What’d she ask you to do?”

Vasquez’s head snaps toward Alex. She thanks her years of working with the DEO for allowing her not to react beyond that.

“I know my sister.” Alex points at the other agent. “She totally bribed you with food, and then explained where she learned that trick from.”

The two agents stare off at each other in silence. Finally, Vasquez lets out a small sigh that ends in the tiniest chuckle. Alex holds back her victory smirk. “She wanted some information on a certain NCPD detective.”

Alex’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “And she knew you wouldn’t ask questions or talk about it.” She lets out a small laugh with a touch of pride. “Damn, that’s something I would do.”

Agent Vasquez makes a noncommittal noise and focuses on her laptop again. Alex knows there’s no use trying to ask for anymore from this particular woman, so she goes back to her own laptop. Both women are comfortable with the professional silence.


	18. Team Danvers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Danvers sisters action before what you've all been waiting for

“That can’t be comfortable,” Vasquez comments.

Alex barely spares her little sister a side glance in a typical big sister fashion. “It’s not like she can get sore that way.”

Supergirl is sleeping on one of the chairs around the table. She has a leg slung over one of the arms of the chair, and her head is lulled back over the other. Her cape is covering her face to block out the light.

“At least she’s not hovering over my shoulder anymore. I love her, but she has zero patience.”

Winn comes rushing into the room with a tablet in his hands. “Hey!” Both agents glare at him. He clears his throat before talking. “Um, I may have a theory on the token.”

“What?” Supergirl jerks awake, and is beside Winn in a second.

He turns the screen of the tablet to the three women in front of him. “It gives out a certain, uh, frequency that almost interferes with the fifth D sensors.”

“So,” Alex takes a closer look, “you’re saying it would -”

“Cut off his connection to the fifth dimension… theoretically.”

“How do we do that?” Supergirl asks.

Winn turns back the tablet to face himself. “It’s…” He searches for the right word. “Hard to say. It didn’t react until I put it near the rope that was left behind from when he tied up Lena. It was the only thing we could get ahold of that he created.”

“Maybe we -”

The beeping of Winn’s “Mxy Alarm” interrupts Supergirl, and the four of them rush out to the command center. Winn goes straight to his computer and pulls up a map on one of the monitors on the wall. His eyes go wide, and he winces as he turns around to look at Supergirl. The hero is frozen with her hands balled into fists, and her eyes are glaring at the map.

Alex takes a step toward her sister, and slowly lays her hand on her shoulder. “Supergirl-”

“Don’t.” Supergirl’s voice is cold. “I’m going to-”

“I’m going with you.”

Supergirl spins with a wide-eyed look at her sister. “What?”

“Agent Schott.” She holds out a hand toward Winn without taking her eyes off Supergirl. “The token.”

He fumbles momentarily to open the case on his desk and places the token in Alex’s hand. “Here.”

Alex places it in her belt pouch and adjusts her alien gun in its holster. “Let’s go.” She nods at her sister.

Supergirl and Agent Danvers are gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

The dynamic sister duo land a block from L-Corp several minutes later. Supergirl has one arm around her sister’s waist, so they land side-by-side. They stand in the middle of the street as sounds of screaming filter behind them. Not many people are out at 10 o’clock at night fortunately. People are running toward them, and the few cars on the street are stopped. A familiar sound reaches their ears.

“It’s Parasite!” Supergirl informs her sister seconds before the creature comes running toward them. She picks up her sister and flies over its head to land behind it.

Alex pulls out her gun the instant her feet touch the ground, so she can move to a vantage point at the side of the street in order to block the path of running citizens. Supergirl catches a car that Parasite threw at her, and the hero sets it down on the street at an angle that will provide further coverage for the people seeking a safe passage out of danger. She shoots a blast of her heat vision directly at Parasite’s chest and notices a blast of blue coming from the direction of where Alex is standing. The creature slides back several yards, its monstrous feet digging two tracks into the asphalt.

“Don’t get too close!” Alex warns, remembering the Parasite’s ability to absorb powers. “I’m covering you!” She shoots off another blast as the creature runs toward Supergirl.

“Got it!” She uses her speed to fly directly at Parasite’s legs, causing the creature to fall forward onto its face. It screeches while it stands back up. “You go high! I go low!” Supergirl shouts at her sister before letting out a long blast of heat vision at Parasite’s stomach. Almost a second later, Alex’s gun is blasting its head.

Parasite hollers in pain and falls to its knees. “Now!” Alex shouts. Both sisters send a large blast to its head, and it explodes in a burst of purple and green confetti. They both watch for a few seconds with raised eyebrows. Supergirl appears next to her sister in a second and checks to see if anyone is around. “Everyone made it away safely.”

Supergirl nods. “That wasn’t actually Parasite.”

“No.” Alex shakes her head, and holsters her gun. “It couldn’t have been though, right? It’s not like he has the power to bring back the dead.” She pauses, and looks at her sister. “Does he?”

“Not quite, dearie.” Mr. Mxyzptlk’s voice pipes up from behind them, and they both whirl around - Supergirl with her body partially in front of Alex, whose gun is aimed over Supergirl’s shoulder. It’s a move done in perfect sync without thought.

“This has to stop!” Supergirl orders the imp.

He laughs. “You can’t just stop a game without a winner.”

“You could always just forfeit.” The hero hears her sister doing something, and decides to distract the floating imp.

The imp scoffs, and his eyebrows shoot to the top of his face. “Where would the fun in that be? Don’t tell me you can’t handle a little game. Your cousin does it all the time.”

The hero’s eyes narrow. “What if I don’t want to play?” Supergirl feels a tug on her cape, and takes a step to the side to give Alex more space.

“I don’t remember asking if you wanted to or not.” He shrugs.

“You should have.” Supergirl ducks out of the way after a tap from her sister.

“Game’s over.” Alex holds up the token, and a white flash shoots from it toward Mr. Mxyzptlk.

* * *

_“Alex!” Supergirl shouted a warning to her sister._

_Agent Danvers spun around, ducking at the same time as a punch whirred over her head. She planted her feet and used a pivot with the strength of her abdominals to thrust an uppercut into the stomach of the alien attacking her. He grunted, reflexes forcing him to double over forward. Alex followed up by gripping him around the neck, drawing him down into her knee. His chin hit her knee straight on, and she let him go to put one foot behind his. In a quick motion, she pulled her foot back, causing the alien to land on his back. She hopped over him and landed a front kick straight into the groin of an alien rushing at her._

_The alien stumbled back, and Supergirl was behind him in a breath. Supergirl tugged him by the back of his collar and threw him several feet backward to land on the floor of the warehouse, knocking the breath out of his lungs._

_Supergirl and Agent Danvers found themselves back-to-back, surrounded by four aliens. Alex smirked at the hesitant aliens. “Less than two minutes before the reinforcements,” she threw over her shoulder with a hint of a challenge in her voice._

_The hero’s lips curled up. “We only need one.”_

_Before the aliens could do anything, the sisters broke into motion as if by an invisible signal driven by an innate sense between the two._

_Supergirl sped toward one of the aliens, and swept his feet out from under him on her way past._

_Agent Danvers caught the nearest alien to her by surprise with a side kick to the knee. She parried the jab coming toward her and wrenched her other hand under the extended arm. With a swift spin, she had the alien’s back up against her front to create a barrier between her and the alien running toward her._

_An alien was thrown at the one running toward Alex, sending both of them to the ground. Alex thrusted the ball of her foot into the back of the alien’s knee that she was holding. His knee buckled, and she released him with one arm to elbow the side of his neck. He slumped to the ground in pain._

_When Alex looked up, the rest of the aliens were in a grumbling pile in front of her. She pushed the alien in front of her to the pile just as the doors of the warehouse were blasted open, signalling the arrival of the other DEO agents._

_Supergirl high-fived her sister. “Danvers sisters in action! That’s what I’m talking about!” she said cheerfully. The sisters moved to the side to get out of the way and took up similar crossed-arm positions. “So is this what you had in mind, when you said you wanted something different for sister night tonight?” Supergirl asked._

_“Ha!” Alex smirked. “No, but I won’t complain. Better this than watching that wedding movie again.”_

_“Hey!” Supergirl looked offended. “That’s a great movie!”_

_“Sure it is.” Alex nudged her shoulder. “Whatever you say, Supergirl.” She started to walk off._

_“You’re just cranky from your date earlier.” Supergirl teased her about the dinner she had with Maxwell Lord that evening._

_“It wasn’t a date!” Alex called over her shoulder._

* * *

 

The white light floods over Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Supergirl raises a hand to try to block out some of the blinding light. A moment later, the light is gone along with the imp. “Where-” Supergirl begins to speak, but they hear something ahead of them. Alex rushes forward a few steps and sees Mr. Mxyzptlk pulling himself up off the ground.

He brushes his hands on his clothes, looking angry for the first time since he has come to National City. “So you want to break the rules then?” His eyes narrow.

“I don’t understand.” Alex looks at the token in her hands. “It didn’t do anything.”

“Oh,” The imp climbs on top of a nearby car, “it did, but you were too late.”

Supergirl takes a step toward him, but has to change direction when a large figure comes toward her out of the corner of her eye. She wraps her arms around her sister, and flies them out of the way. A black form roughly in the shape of a human lands in the spot they once stood.

“You may have cut me off from the fifth dimension,” The imp’s voice takes on its mischievous tone again, “but I was able to make another little friend first.”

The featureless being lets out a screech and rushes toward the sisters. They split apart, and the being stumbles through the space they vacated. It circles back to Alex, and Supergirl goes to fly at it. She aims a punch at what would be its stomach, but flies straight through it. The creature doesn’t even flinch and lunges at Alex. The agent aims her alien gun at the shadow-type creature. The shot only slows it down slightly. Supergirl blows a stream of freeze breath at the creature. It screeches again and swings around wildly.

Before Supergirl can put herself in front of Alex, the agent is hit by one of the arms. Alex stumbles back, but doesn’t fall down to the ground. A small crunch sounds in the back of Supergirl’s consciousness, but she doesn’t register it as she places herself in between the creature and Alex.

The shadow creature stops in front of them. Mr. Mxyzptlk laughs brightly, and the being is gone with a popping sound. “You idiots.”

Supergirl and Agent Danvers whirl around to face the imp with glares. He’s now floating again, and pointing toward the ground. They follow his gaze to Alex’s feet. Taking a step back, Alex reveals the now broken token, and lets out a small growl.

“While you two make just an amazing, truly spectacular, wonderful really, absolutely inspiring, dynamic duo… I’m not here to see you two.” He wags his finger between the two sisters. “I already know you know how great you two are together. I have someone else in mind. Ta-ta, Danvers sisters.” He pops out.

The hero lets out a growl with a huff, clenching her fists at her sides. “We need to figure this out!” She waves a hand in the direction of where the imp was previously.

Alex reigns her own frustration in, and steps closer to her sister. “Easy. We will figure this out. He’s here for something. Or someone it would seem.”

Supergirl freezes, and her eyes glow for a second. “Lena…” she whispers.

Putting her hand on Supergirl’s shoulder, Alex attempts to prevent her sister from acting rashly. “Winn would tell us if there was another signal.” She squeezes the shoulder under her hand. “He didn’t seem completely himself. He’s probably tired and off recharging or whatever he needs to do.”

The hero’s jaw clenches. “How do we take on someone with the power to do anything? With our closest chance destroyed.” She gestures to the broken token on the ground.

“Together.”

Supergirl meets her sister’s eyes. The exhaustion is beyond evident in the hero’s face. “I should check on Lena.”

“We should go regroup at the DEO… and you need rest, Kara.”

“But -”

“You can text her from the DEO.”

“Fine.” Supergirl’s shoulders slump. “Let’s go.”


	19. Green is a Weakness

**Super Babe:** Lena, hello. Just checking on you after the attack near L-Corp.

Supergirl sets her phone on the table in front of her. She’s perched on a stool across from her sister, who is working on her laptop. She lets out an audible breath and rests her elbows on the table, with her chin on her left fist. Her right hand spins her superphone on the table.

After a few minutes, Alex speaks without looking up from her laptop. “I can hear you moping.”

“I’m not moping.”

They are silent for a few more minutes. “She could be asleep.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Supergirl pulls out her cellphone. _It’s not even 11… There’s no way she’s asleep. Maybe she’s ignoring me. She could be annoyed with all the Mxy stuff._

“Maybe we should call it a night.” Alex shuts her laptop. “Winn has the 5D sensor set to alarm your Supergirl phone.”

Supergirl nods slowly. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Go get some sleep, Kara. That troll has had you running around all day.”

A small smile flashes on Supergirl’s face for an instant at the word, “troll.” “You too, Alex.”

“Come on, hero. I’ll give you a ride home. I don’t need to see any news of you sleep-flying.”

“That happened one time,” Supergirl defends herself before zooming off down the hall. She’s back seconds later in Kara Danvers’ clothes.

“Kara, you crashed through my window at 3 in the morning, and then started foraging through my fridge.”

“The DEO covered the costs of repairs.”

“Kara… I came running out of my room with a gun thinking my home was being broken into, and saw you holding my refrigerator door in one hand and a bottle of ketchup in the other.”

“You ended up with a nicer fridge!”

“Kara…”

“Hey! At least I ended up at your apartment instead of somewhere random.”

Alex rolls her eyes and steps into the garage to find her car. “You know… if you do that now, you could end up flying in on something you wouldn’t want to see.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” They climb into Alex’s car.

“I was alone that night.”

“Yeah?”

“Alone as in single.”

“Wh… oh!” Kara’s eyes go wide, and she adjusts her seatbelt. “Yup. Point taken. No sleep-flying.”

Alex laughs at her sister and drives out of the garage.

* * *

Kara closes her apartment door behind herself and tosses her keys onto the counter. She drags her feet to the couch and plops down with a huff. Pulling out her cellphone, she decides to text Lena as Kara.

 **Sunshine Danvers:** Hey Lena! I hope your day hasn’t been too crazy! And that you aren’t still at L-Corp!

 **Sunshine Danvers:** Maybe we could get lunch tomorrow?

Kara lets her phone fall to her stomach and drops her arms onto the couch cushions with a plop. “Why aren’t you answering?” she asks the ceiling. Her fingers tap faster than the naked eye can see. Pushing her phone off of her stomach and onto the couch, she stands up to begin pacing.

Her fingers wring together as she makes a path around her apartment. She stops at her fridge and opens it in search of a distraction. With a slice of pizza in her hand, she continues her pacing. “She’s fine… She’s probably just busy.”

Feeling far too antsy, she decides to fly out some of her energy. _No one will notice Supergirl flying past L-Corp and Lena Luthor’s apartment… right?_ She shakes her head, and moments later, Supergirl is flying out of her window in a barely visible blur. Her cape flutters behind her as she shoots above the National City skyline on a path to her best friend’s apartment.

Supergirl doesn’t see any lights on, but knows that doesn’t necessarily mean Lena isn’t home. She hesitates in the air before landing softly on the large patio balcony. “It’s not creepy to x-ray the place to make sure she’s safe, right?” She winces, and looks around as if someone might be watching her. The hero convinces herself that a quick scan to ensure there’s no danger wouldn’t hurt. She scans the entire apartment twice, but finds nothing - including Lena.

Taking off into the sky, Supergirl makes a beeline for L-Corp. In the distance, she can see the light on in Lena’s office. _That answers that question._ Anxious to ensure Lena’s safety, she lands on Lena’s balcony, and immediately opens the door. Two steps into the office, she freezes with her eyes going wide. After a brief moment of shock, her jaw tenses, and her fists land on her hips.

Lena spins around in her desk chair, but Supergirl misses the way the CEO smiles brightly at the sight of the red and blue hero. “Supergirl!”

 _What is she doing here?_ Supergirl’s eyes are firmly on Batwoman, who is lounging comfortably in one of the chairs across from Lena.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lena smirks when she notices the glare Supergirl is throwing at Batwoman.

Batwoman raises an eyebrow with a smug expression toward Supergirl. “Yes, Supergirl, what brings you?”

Supergirl crosses her arms over her chest, and tries to calm her breathing. _How long has she been here?_ She turns her body toward Lena. “Lena, I was just patrolling, and saw your light still on. I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything today. It’s pretty late.”

Lena smiles at her friend. “How thoughtful. I was actually finishing up, when I received a visitor.” Her eyes glance at the other hero in the room.

Batwoman waves at Supergirl. “We’re all good here, Super.”

 _We?_ Supergirl focuses on Lena. “So you haven’t been bothered by Mxy again today, have you?”

Lena shakes her head. “But I saw that you weren’t so lucky.” Her face is sympathetic.

Supergirl shrugs. “At least he’s not playing his jokes on you anymore.”

“How noble of you,” Batwoman says, although her tone of voice doesn’t match the compliment.

 _I don’t like her._ Supergirl slowly turns her head to Batwoman. “I assumed your visit would be over. You know, we had a couple women from your neck of the woods here not too long ago.”

“Is that so?”

“Maybe you should make sure they made it back home.”

“Oh, but I’m having such a lovely vacation. There are so many… beautiful sights here.” Her eyes flick to Lena with a smirk.

Lena keeps her eyes on Supergirl, but watches Batwoman out of the corner of her eye. _Oh my god, who does this woman think she is?_ She’s torn between flattery and an urge to roll her eyes.

“You should head to San Diego to check out the beach at sunrise. If you have a car and leave soon, you can totally make it there by sunrise.”

The CEO’s eyebrows rise, and she bites her lip to keep a smile off of her face. Fortunately, the two heroes are looking at each other with silent challenges set to their features. _What has gotten into Kara?_

A sly grin slowly grows on Batwoman’s face, and she leans forward slightly. “You know, that actually sounds like a great idea. Maybe I can convince Lena to take tomorrow off.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t talk about Lena as if she wasn’t here.” Supergirl’s eyes narrow, and she lifts her chin for a brief moment. Turning to look into Lena’s eyes, she tilts her head in question. “She **is** one of the most powerful women… people in National City.” _And that’s coming from the literal most powerful person in National City._

Lena smirks and finds herself enjoying this particular sort of defending. She realizes having Supergirl speaking up for her as being an independent woman is something she never knew she wanted. “You flatter me.” She knows she’s echoing words she once told Kara.

Batwoman clears her throat to draw the attention of the two women staring at each other. They both take their time turning to her. “So…” She leans forward with her elbows on her thighs. “Lena, what do you say we -”

“Hey!” All three women jolt, and shift their attention to the source of the voice.

“Not again…” Supergirl groans.

“Aww hell…” Lena mumbles at the same time.

Supergirl moves closer to Lena, angling her body in between Mr. Mxyzptlk and Lena, who stands up from her seat. Batwoman whirls up from her chair, and faces the imp with a batarang in her hand.

“Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?” Supergirl growls.

“Damage?” Mr. Mxyzptlk brings a hand to his chest in offense. “I did no such thing!”

Supergirl narrows her eyes at him. “Sure.”

“Can’t you just… freeze him or something?” Lena is beyond frustrated.

“I wouldn’t unless you want this to turn into an ice cave.” The imp interjects.

“He can just disappear.” Supergirl’s voice is a mix of apologetic and exasperated.

“Ooo! You’re learning!” He chuckles. “But I am glad that you are all here. It makes things easier when I only have to stop in one spot, you know?”

“Who are you?” Batwoman asks.

Mr. Mxyzptlk waves off her question. “I’m the reason you’re here. But no time for that, tall, dark, and batty.”

Batwoman’s eyes widen in surprise. She takes a step toward the imp. “You little -”

“Now, now. You don’t want to start off the night on a bad note, do you?” He waves a hand dismissively, and the batarang turns into a balloon sword.

“What the hell?” Batwoman throws the balloon to the ground, while Supergirl and Lena watch someone else be on the receiving end of the imp’s tricks.

“So!” Mr. Mxyzptlk claps his hands once and rubs them together. “How about we get this started, yeah? One romantic adventure for two coming up!” He gaudily waves a hand in the air, and Lena and Batwoman are gone in a puff of red and pink smoke.

“Lena!” Supergirl shouts. She looks around in concern, eyes wide in worry as she sees that she’s now alone in Lena’s office. She growls out in frustration, fists balled up at her side. Her phone buzzes in her pocket, and she pulls it out. “A bit late for that now.” A map pops up to show her that the imp’s powers were being used at L-Corp. She angrily taps at the screen, willing it to show where he has taken Lena.

The phone buzzes again, and she pulls up the new map. “What are they doing on the beach?” She growls out through gritted teeth, and shoves her phone back into its hidden pocket. “I really need to punch something!” Supergirl flies out of Lena’s office.

* * *

Lena’s heels sink into the sand. “What the hell is this?” She quickly takes in her surroundings with the sounds of the water only a few yards away. The full moon casts a glow over the water. Candles are floating in the air around her.

A pop behind her causes her to quickly spin around. Standing several feet in front of her, Batwoman’s mostly black costume reflects the glow of the candles. “Where are we?”

The CEO looks around again. “I know this beach.” It’s the same exact part of the beach that she had a water fight with Kara at. _That feels like years ago…_

Batwoman looks at the lights of the skyline in the distance. “We’re still in National City.” Lena starts walking back toward the city. “Where are you going?”

“Home with any luck.”

The Gotham City hero catches up to Lena. “You planning on walking there?”

Before Lena can answer, Mr. Mxyzptlk appears in front of them. “Oh! You can’t go yet!” The women stop walking and stare at him. “We haven’t even gotten to the dancing part yet.” He waves his hands, and a breeze flows over both women. When the breeze settles, they are no longer in the clothes they were wearing.

Lena rolls her eyes after looking up from the deep green gown covering her body. “Is there a point to all of this?”

Batwoman is brought out of her intense gaze at her black dress with a slit up the side. “Is this how all of the villains around here act?”

The CEO chooses to ignore her. She opens her mouth for a snarky comment toward the imp, but a familiar sound floods her with relief. “It’s about time,” she whispers.

“What was that?” Batwoman leans closer to Lena.

Supergirl lands behind Mr. Mxyzptlk, across from the women. “She was talking about me.” The Kryptonian easily heard Lena’s comment from before. Her eyebrows raise when she sees Lena. _Oh Rao…_ She clears her throat. “What are you wearing?”

“Is that really what you’re worried about right now, Supergirl?” Lena raises one eyebrow.

“She looks exquisite, doesn’t she?” Mr. Mxyzptlk chuckles with excitement.

“While I’d have to agree, I’m more concerned about what you want.” Batwoman exclaims.

“Okay, okay, okay. So impatient.” The imp shakes his head. “We have some formal introductions to make first.” He clears his throat, and floats higher. “I am Mr. Mxyzptlk!” He smiles widely, and waits expectantly. The women just stare at him. “What? No applause?... Tough crowd.”

“Can’t we just… jump him?” Batwoman peers around the imp to look at Supergirl.

Shaking her head, Supergirl huffs in frustration. “He’ll just pop out, and back in somewhere else.”

“Peachy.”

“Back to what I was saying.” The imp draws attention back to himself. “It’s rude to interrupt, you know?” He clears his throat, and gestures to Lena. “Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp. Truly an intriguing character, if I may add my personal opinion.”

Supergirl’s eyes narrow, while Lena’s face remains impassive. _What if I just threw him into the ocean?_ Supergirl wonders. She takes a step closer, but is stopped when Mr. Mxyzptlk appears behind Lena.

“Stay there, Girl of Steel. I’m not done yet.”

Lena’s jaw tightens. _I need a vacation from this city._

“Where were we? Oh, yes. Batwoman. One of Gotham City’s night chasers.” He looks at Supergirl. “I do wonder what leads to a hero being ‘woman’ or ‘girl.’”

“It wasn’t exactly my name choice.” Supergirl crosses her arms, while Batwoman smirks.

“Wait…” Lena takes a closer look at Kate. “I know you.”

“Oh! This just got interesting!” The imp giggles. “Of course! It makes sense! Metropolis isn’t all that far from Wayne Enterprises, is it?”

“Wait, how-” Supergirl is interrupted by the imp.

“Katherine Kane, ladies and… ladies.” He laughs.

“Great, are we done here?” Batwoman is utterly annoyed. “Do you wanna get out of here?” She slides closer to Lena.

“Splendid idea!” Mxy claps. “Wait! I almost forgot!” He snaps his fingers.

“No!” Supergirl’s eyes go wide in worry.


	20. Hero of the Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to give y'all plenty for the rest of the weekend, while I finish up the last chapters

The Kryptonian feels as though the breath has been sucked from her lungs, and time has stilled as if she’s the star of a television show. “No,” she whispers, as her hands fly up to her face with her eyes glued on the baby blue dress adorning her body. Her fingers confirm her suspicions. _Oh no…_

Slowly, her head lifts to find green eyes baring into hers. She swallows thickly, trying to find the words to say. Her breath quickens, and she lowers her hands from her face, one hand shaking around an object that used to bring her comfort. “Lena…” Clearing her throat, she looks down again for a moment. “Lena, I…”

 _Oh god, how is she freaking out over this?_ Lena takes the few steps to bring her in front of her best friend. As if reaching for a wild deer that could be frightened easily, Lena’s hand stretches toward the shaking hand in front of her. Without letting her eyes leave the blue ones in front of her, she slowly unwinds the trembling fingers. “Calm down.” She lifts both hands to the blue eyes, and slides the lead over her ears. “We both know I know, Kara.” Her voice is calm and reassuring.

The slightest gasp escapes Kara’s lips, and a hand comes up to fidget with the glasses. “Lena, I-”

A throat clearing behind Lena interrupts them. Time resumes again, and Kara can’t help but wonder if the imp actually did freeze time. Kara and Lena turn their attention to the red-head.

“Kara. As in Kara Danvers?”

Kara freezes, and her eyes grow cold with suspicion. Lena lays a hand on Kara’s forearm. “Kane. As is Kate Kane, COO of WayneTech.” Lena levels a raised eyebrow look at Kate in challenge.

“Ah, so you research L-Corp’s threats, huh?” Kate is unfazed by the unspoken threat in Lena’s tone.

“I would hardly consider WayneTech a threat.” Her eyebrow quirks.

Kate waves off the comment and turns back to Kara. “So… you use yourself as a source?”

Kara takes a step closer to Kate, but Lena is blocking her way. When her body comes into contact with Lena, she stops moving.

Mr. Mxyzptlk clears his throat. “Are you done?” His arms are crossed. “Because we do have somewhere else to be.”

With a single clap that sounds like lightning, a flash of light blinds the three women. When the light is gone, they open their eyes to find they are standing in a grand ballroom. Elegantly dressed people are filling the room and dancing around to music without a visible source. Kara spins around several times to take everything in with her jaw dropped and eyes wide. _This is like Cinderella…_

Lena blinks a few times as if that would clear the sight before her. Her eyes find Kara and take on an amused glint. _I suppose this is better than being tied to a rocket._

Kate searches around for Mr. Mxyzptlk. She walks up to the couple dancing nearest her and attempts to get their attention. “Excuse me?... Hello?” The couple waltzes past her without sparing a glance.

Breaking out of her awe, Kara goes up to a woman sipping from a glass at a table. “Um, hi. Can you tell me where we are?” The woman shows no sign that she is aware of Kara’s presence. “Can you hear me?” She waves her hands in front of the woman’s face. “Huh. Weird.”

While Kara is focused on trying to gain the attention of the people around them, Kate gives up on the endeavor with the presumption that it’s not real. Shrugging, she walks over to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Lena. “So what do you know about the little magic man?”

Lena doesn’t take her eyes off of Kara. “He’s playing some kind of game that we have to win.”

“Hmm… And this is part of it?”

Shrugging, Lena speaks, “It must be.”

“The dresses aren’t bad.” Kate does a half twirl to bring herself to stand in front of Lena. “That really is an amazing color on you, Miss Luthor.”

Lena raises an eyebrow. _Is she serious?_

Gesturing to the ball happening around them, Kate smiles charmingly at Lena. “This actually is kind of nice. Don’t you think?” Lena doesn’t say anything. “I don’t want you to think what I’m about to say is just my attempt at getting us out of this highly elaborate prank…” Lena tilts her head in a gesture for Kate to continue. “We have these fancy dresses, and some music playing from somewhere…” She holds out a hand to Lena. “Would you like to dance with me?” Her smile is absolutely charming and brings out her dimples.

Kara whips her head around from the people she was trying to talk to when she hears the question. Her jaw drops when Lena’s hand slides into Kate’s. She watches with wide eyes as Kate elegantly wisps Lena off to the dance floor. They fall into an open space in the circle of dancers, and Kate pulls Lena toward her. Kate guides one of Lena’s hands to her shoulder and allows her free hand to find its place on Lena’s waist. The Kryptonian watches in complete shock as her best friend is led in a waltz around the floor. Kate is wearing a permanent grin that radiates confidence.

She hears _that darn laugh_ again and spins around with a right hook at the source of the laugh. Mr. Mxyzptlk is gone before the punch lands. A growl rumbles deep in Kara’s chest, and her eyes gain a red tint as her heat vision threatens to flare. The imp appears back in front of her in a reclined position floating in the air.

“What. Do. You. Want.” She growls through gritted teeth.

The imp’s eyebrows shoot to the top of his head. He seems somewhat impressed. “You really haven’t figured it out, have you?” He shakes his head. “Pity.” Straightening up from his reclined position, he looks over at Lena and Kate. “They sure are having fun.”

Kara follows his gaze, and her hands curl into tight fists at her side. Her mind suddenly conjures up memories from the previous year: meeting Lucy for the first time, opening the door to find James bringing Lucy to game night, stopping by Noonan’s for coffee only to leave when she saw Lucy and James laughing…

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout, hero girl?” Mr. Mxyzptlk floats on his stomach at Kara’s head level.

Suddenly, Kara lets out a breath and feels her energy leaving her. _This… this is what Alex was talking about… I’m… Lena…_

“That Kate sure is smooth. Wouldn’t you agree?”

_But… I’m… Does she…_

“Oh, would you look at that?”

Kara’s eyes refocus, and she takes in the sight across the ballroom. A small gasp escapes her. Mr. Mxyzptlk laughs joyfully.

Mr. Mxyzptlk nudges Kara’s shoulder and laughs full-heartedly. She nudges him away when she sees Kate and Lena stop their dancing. The two women are gazing at each other. In slow motion, Kara watches Kate raise a hand to Lena’s face. Kara appears beside them before Kate can touch Lena’s face.

Lena jumps slightly, and turns to look at her best friend. She drops her hands from Kate, who remains close.

Channelling her Supergirl confidence, Kara extends her hand for yet another rescue of Lena… _if she wants it,_ Kara thinks. “Mind if I cut in?”

Lena’s surprise that she couldn’t hide morphs into a soft, pleased smile. Painfully slow, she raises her left hand to align it on top of Kara’s right hand. “Be my guest.” Her voice comes out a touch breathlessly.

Kara glances over her shoulder at Kate with a tilt of her head. “I couldn’t stop you if I wanted to.” The redhead takes a step back with an elegant wave of her hand and a smile.

Looking back at Lena, Kara finds green eyes watching her closely. “Lead the way, Supergirl.” She smirks playfully.

With a small nod and shy smile, Kara gently pulls Lena closer to the flow of dancers. Neither notice Kate walking off of the dance floor to take up a position where she can watch them. When Kara pauses in an open spot on the dance floor, she feels her confidence gradually fading as she looks at Lena with a shy smile.

“Um…” She awkwardly lifts her free hand, looking down at it in confusion. _Oh Rao…_

Lena lets out a small breathless chuckle. _Even in this ridiculous situation, she manages to be adorably awkward._ She slides her fingers over Kara’s free hand, and lifts it to her own waist. As close as they are, Lena hears to hitch in Kara’s breathing. Her smile softens, and her hand finds purchase on Kara’s shoulder - enjoying the feel of Kara’s smooth skin.

 _This is nice,_ Kara thinks, unwilling or able to break their silence. The Kryptonian takes in a slow, deep breath to gather the strength to begin moving.

* * *

_13-year-old Lena packed up her books when the teacher dismissed class. She tucked them close to her chest and walked out of the room with her chin raised as her classmates spoke around her._

_“My mom is already waiting outside!”_

_“Ugh! I don’t know how I’ll wait a whole hour for my flight!”_

_“What are you doing for spring break?”_

_“We’re going to Spain for a family reunion! It’s going to be amazing going back home!”_

_“My mom and I are finishing renovations of her home office!”_

_“I’m spending the entire time at home with my brother and sister. They’re on break too.”_

_“I just want to be back in my own room again. God, I miss my bed.”_

_“What are you doing, Lena?” A girl, Grace, asked Lena, who was about to walk past the group standing together in the hallway._

_Lena stopped and tried to smile at them. “I’m not sure yet. My mom hasn’t told me yet.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Lena hadn’t spoken to her mother in months. She wasn’t planning on going back to the Luthor mansion for spring break, but it seemed that everyone at school would be going home. She shrugged. “I think I’m going home tomorrow though.”_

_Some of the smiles turned her way become sympathetic. Lena stood there and listened to the other girls share their plans._

_“Jen, didn’t you go to Rome last year? How was it?”_

_“It was just the best! That trip made me change my schedule, so I could get some architecture classes.”_

_“Over winter, my brother and I made a treehouse. I can’t wait to go home and just spend it there. And no homework!”_

_Lena’s smile dimmed with each excited exclamation. She tried several times to join in on their excitement, but couldn’t find anything to discuss. In the three years since Lionel’s death, the Luthor Mansion was empty more often than not. When the group said their “goodbyes,” Lena gave a forced smile and retreated to her dorm room._

_She slumped against the closed door and took in her scarcely decorated room. Pushing off the door, she walked to her bed and threw her books down. “What now?” Muted shouts and laughter flowed through her open window. From her third-story room, she could see the front driveway of the building, where many students were joining their families._

_The Luthor watched from her window until the last car pulled out of the driveway. She dropped herself into her desk chair and stared at the phone in front of her. Sighing, she picked it up._

* * *

_“Welcome home, Miss Luthor.” The driver opened the back door of the car in front of the Luthor Mansion._

_Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Lena crawled out of the back seat and stared up at the house she hadn’t seen in months. The driver appeared beside her with her bag and gestured to the front door. With her head held high, she walked up to the door. It opened wide when her foot hit the first step up to the porch._

_A housekeeper Lena didn’t recognize stood to the side of the open door with a passive face and eyes that wouldn’t meet Lena’s. “Miss Luthor.” The woman nodded her head respectfully when Lena stopped outside of the door._

_The driver went to pass Lena’s bag to the woman, but Lena held out her arm to grab it herself. “I can take my own bag.” She pulled the strap over her shoulder. “Thank you.”_

_“Miss Luthor.” The driver ducked his head and went back to the car without another word._

_Lena crossed the threshold, exchanging the sunny day for the darkness of the mansion. The housekeeper closed the door once Lena was fully inside._

_“Can I get you anything, Miss Luthor?”_

_The teenager breathed in deeply at the formality. “When will Mother return?” She looked over her shoulder at the woman._

_“Ma’am, she is away on business for the month.”_

_She nodded to herself slowly._ And Lex lives in Metropolis now to run Luthor Corp, _she reminded herself._

_“Would you like me to request anything specific for dinner from the cook?” The housekeeper’s voice sounded almost softer, more sympathetic._

_“Anything is fine.” Lena turned to the staircase. “Thank you,” she added almost as an afterthought._

_The housekeeper watched her disappear up the stairs before going back to her duties._

_Lena pushed the door to her bedroom open and stood there in a frozen moment. She took in a sharp breath and let it out shakily._ What’s wrong with me? _Shaking herself out of her reverie, she forced her feet to take her into the room._

_Her bag plopped onto the foot of her bed, and she took a seat beside it with her hands folded in her lap. Eyes floated around the practically impersonal room that always felt too large. A bookshelf, bed, desk, and vanity were the main pieces of furniture. Only paintings placed on the walls by Lillian herself decorated the room. It could have been a guest room in a historic bed and breakfast for all its lack of true character. Everything was pristine. The smell of fresh linens tickled Lena’s nose. She let out an audible breath and looked around her home… the Luthor’s home… house… mansion…_

It’s a nice home, _she told herself. She knew she was lucky to have been adopted by a family that could provide for her. More than provide for her._

_Lena lost track of time. She had disappeared inside her mind - her thoughts swirling through her nine years with the Luthors. Her spring break was spent throwing herself into books and research. By the end of the week, she was filling out a form for two patents, had read every book needed for the rest of the year, gone through Lex’s college textbooks, and drawn up plans for a solar-powered battery._

_The driver pulled up the car behind several others in the school driveway. Lena hopped out of the car with her bag over her shoulder the second the car was put in park. She snuck past a group of laughing girl catching up with each other and ran straight into the front door._

_“Lena!”_

_She stopped when she heard her name called as she was passing the lounge on her floor. Putting a smile on her face, she turned to the group of girls sitting in the room. “Hey!”_

_“Come sit with us!”_

_“Yeah, Carmen was just telling us about her new horse.”_

_“She’s so beautiful! A palamino!”_

_Lena adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Sure. I’ll go put my things away first.” She returned the smiles being sent her way and hurried to her room._

_The girls were laughing and discussing different shopping trips. Lena slid into a chair before she could talk herself out of joining the girls. She plastered a smile onto her face, and her eyes followed along with the flow of conversation._

_“Hey, Lena.” One of the girls, Jayme, drew Lena’s attention. Lena turned to her with a smile and a hum in question. “What did the great Luthors spend their vacation doing?”_

_One of the other girls elbowed Jayme in the ribs, and replaced the question with one of her own. “You were going home, right?”_

_Lena nodded, her smile only falling slightly. “Yes, I went back to,” She paused fast enough for it to barely be noticed, “the Luthor Mansion back in Smallville.”_

_“Kansas in the spring, huh?” One of the girls leaned closer toward Lena. “Didn’t your brother move to Metropolis?”_

_“Oh yeah!” Another girl squealed. “I heard my father talking about how large Luthor Corp has grown.” Her voice turned into a whisper. “He’s trying to do some investing with your brother.”_

_“It’s Alexander, right?” All focus shifted to a girl reclining in an arm chair with her legs crossed at the knees. She wore a knowing smirk._

_Lena straightened her spine, refusing to show any reaction to Veronica Sinclair. “Lex, actually.”_

_Veronica hummed and narrowed her eyes at Lena. The other girls remained silent in tense awe of what could unfold before them. “Lex,” she said as if tasting the word on her tongue. “How is he doing with the company that Daddy Luthor left him?” She laughed at Lena’s stern expression. “Sorry… too soon?” She raised an eyebrow. Some of the girls shifted uncomfortably around them. “I do admire your family’s power though.”_

_“You would.” The room held a collective breath at Lena’s response._

_“So you never told us how lovely it was to be at home in that big house. I have always wanted to know what goes on with the Luthors.”_

_Lena leaned back in her chair and narrowed her eyes as her legs crossed at the knees - a shift in expression she would perfect over the years. “I don’t recall asking what you wanted to know about my life.”_

_Wide eyes looked back and forth between the two girls._

_“Well, Lena, it would appear going home gave you that Luthor steel we’ve all been waiting for.”_

_The young Luthor in question slowly stood, and sharp inhales surrounded her. “That’s right. I’m a Luthor.” Veronica stood as well. “Which means,” Lena lifted her chin, “I have work to attend to.” She turned on her heel, keeping her chin raised as she left the stunned silence behind her._ I’m getting out of here as soon as I can. _The moment her dorm room door was closed behind her, she slipped into her desk chair and opened the testing guide waiting for her there._

_She considered her week at home to be quite productive. On her own, she devised a plan and made a promise to herself. Lena would be turning 14 at the end of the month. She vowed to herself that she would get away from boarding school by her 15th birthday. Moving back home to the Luthor Mansion was not an option she thought highly of, so she would have to make something of herself to open doors. Lena’s concept of “home” did not seem to align with her classmates’. She was okay with that._

* * *

_“Kara,” Lara smiled at her niece. “Do not linger by the door.”_

_Kara looked on at her aunt from the doorway with nervous eyes. Alura rested a hand on Kara’s shoulder, and the girl looked up at her mother. “There is no need to be scared, Kara. Go greet your cousin.”_

_The girl smiled up at her mother and took careful steps into the room. She stopped beside the long couch where her aunt sat with a baby in her arms. Her hand rested on the back of the couch, and she glanced down at the baby. “Hello, Kal-El.” The baby’s eyes opened at the new voice, and their eyes met. Kara broke out into a radiant smile, and she reached a hand out to him. She paused with her hand inches from his and looked at Lara in question._

_“It is fine. You will not hurt him.” Lara’s smile was encouraging._

_Smiling, Kara extended her hand to Kal-El and watched in wonder as a tiny fist wrapped around her finger. “He is so small.” Her eyes didn’t leave Kal-El._

_Alura and Lara shared a smile over Kara’s shoulder. “Would you like to hold him, Kara?” Lara asked._

_Nervously, Kara’s eyes met Lara’s. She looked over her shoulder at her mother. “Go on, Kara.” Alura nodded._

_“Here,” Lara patted the cushion beside her. “Sit, and you can hold him.” Slowly, Kara lowered herself to the couch, her eyes glued to the cooing baby. “Ready?” Kara nodded. “Hold your arms out.” Lara gently placed the baby into the waiting arms and helped Kara adjust her hold. “How is that?” She sat back to watch the cousins._

_Kara wore a large smile as she stared at Kal-El. “I am your cousin, Kara.” The baby gurgled at the sound of her voice._

_“Such a beautiful sight.” Everyone turned to see Jor-El entering the room with Zor-El. He went to stand behind Lara with a hand on her shoulder lovingly, while Zor-El took a position beside Alura._

_“Welcome to the House of El, Kal-El.” Kara smiled up at her family. Her cousin waved his arms, drawing her attention back to him._

_Alura smiled down at her daughter with a wistful smile. She turned her gaze to Zor-El, who met her eyes. They shared a meaningful look with smiles turning almost sad before their eyes went back to Kara._

_Kal-El started to fuss. “I will take him.” Jor-El walked around to the front of the couch, and easily plucked the baby from Kara’s arms. Kara waved her fingers at her cousin, and smiled as Jor-El took him to another room._

_“Come, Kara.” Zor-El waved Kara to the exit._

_“I will see you later, Aunt Lara.” Kara gave her a quick hug and joined her parents. Alura placed an arm around Kara’s shoulders and led her out of the room._

_After dinner, Kara vanished to her room for some reading before her mother would tell her it was time to sleep. In the middle of reading about blue stars and some of their planets, a familiar voice drew Kara’s attention. She turned from her reading and focused her hearing toward her open door. A surprised grin spread across her face, and she hopped off of her bed. Attempting to be stealthy, Kara slid along the wall of the hallway toward the source of the voices. She paused at the end of the hallway when the voices raised - not wanting to interrupt._

_“Sister, be rational.” Alura’s voice was stern._

_“We want to help create a solution.” Astra sounded pleading._

_A silence followed the plea._

_“Aunt Astra!” Kara jumped around the corner with a bright smile._

_Astra and Alura were facing each other. Alura’s hands were folded in front of her, and Astra’s were extended out in front of her in clear indication that she was using them to speak. Both women hastened to remove their stern expressions and faced Kara with strikingly different smiles._

_“Hello, Little One.” Astra spread her arms, and Kara didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation._

_Kara squeezed her aunt as tightly as she could with her eyes closed and a content smile. “You haven’t sent me a message on my spy beacon in weeks.”_

_Alura smiled fondly at her sister and daughter. “Aunt Astra has been on a mission, Kara. We are pleased to have her back.”_

_“Yes.” Astra shot her sister a grateful smile. “But I am back now.” Her smile grew when Kara stepped back to look up at her. “I always come back, do I not?”_

_Kara pulled her back into another hug. “You do.”_

_Zor-El walked into the room. “Ah, Alura.”_

_Astra released Kara to face her brother-in-law. “Hello, Zor-El.”_

_“Welcome back,” He joined the small group._

_Looking down at Kara, Alura said, “Kara, I am sure Astra would love to see your latest project. You can show her before going to bed.”_

_“Okay!” Kara beamed, and grabbed Astra’s hand to pull her out of the room._

_Her smile remained firmly on her face while she spent time with her aunt. Kara and Astra laughed and enjoyed each other’s company._

_“I love you, Kara.” Astra squeezed Kara’s shoulders with the arm she had around them._

_“I love you too, Aunt Astra.” Kara tucked her head into Astra’s shoulder. “I missed you.”_

_“I missed you too, Little One. But you know I have to go sometimes to keep our home safe.”_

_Kara nodded. “I know.” A yawn escaped Kara, and she happily sighed into it. Her exhausted mind blinked through thoughts of home. As she drifted off to sleep, she smiled with the images of her family being the last flashes in her mind._

* * *

Kara steps forward with her right foot, and a flutter bounces in her stomach when Lena moves her left foot in sync. A shy smile appears on the hero’s face as they begin to dance together.   _Is this even real?_ she wonders and sneaks a glance around the room. Kate is standing beside Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Lena takes in a slow breath. _Obviously, the elf has sent us to some dream world, and I’m probably tied to another rocket._ She smirks through a sense of having no control as she internally berates herself for _just going along with it._ “Kara,” she whispers.

“Hmm?” Kara hums, but doesn’t meet her eyes.

“Kara.” Lena’s voice is louder this time.

When Kara’s eyes find Lena’s face, there is a smirk waiting for her. She laughs nervously, and if her hands weren’t busy, she would have adjusted her glasses. “I can’t say this is how I saw my night going, or how I thought us finally acknowledging… you know… the whole Supergirl thing would go.” She shrugs with another chuckle.

Shaking her head, Lena lets out a small laugh herself. She bites her lip, and green eyes meet blue. “Not that I don’t appreciate how this situation seems to be devoid of life-threatening circumstances, but I don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Kara tilts her head, and the crinkle appears in her brow.

“What’s his angle?” She gestures with her head toward the imp somewhere off to the side.

“Oh,” Kara thinks for a moment. “Well he’s, uh, leaving us alone right now… Maybe he…” She bites her lip and looks down, unsure of her thoughts. _It has something to do with Lena and me._

Lena’s chuckle is deep and fills Kara with warmth. “Maybe he was just trying to get us to dance together.” Her tone is teasing.

Kara’s eyebrows shoot up, and her face brightens. “Yeah!”

“What?” Lena’s teasing expression is gone, and replaced by shock. “I was joking, Kara.”

“No, no… I mean… yeah, but no. I mean… I’m not joking. He said we had to be a team. He must have been talking about you and me. Maybe… maybe… this… but why...” Kara starts to think to herself with her telltale crinkle in her forehead.

The CEO shakes her head, trying to make sense of Kara’s words. “Breathe, Kara.”

Taking in a deep breath, Kara meets Lena’s eyes again. Her breath catches in her throat, and she swallows thickly. “Lena,” she whispers and slows their dancing to a stop.

“Yes?”

Kara drops her arms to her sides. “Take off your heels.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you trust me?”

Lena blinks, and her expression is unreadable. After a breathless moment for Kara, Lena softly says, “Yes.” Kara smiles, and she kicks off her heels to the side.

Kara follows suit. “Okay, now stand on my feet.”

“What?”

Another nervous laugh escapes Kara. “While my skin may be bulletproof and all that, I didn’t think the heels would make this easy.”

“Make what easy?”

“Just… stand on my feet… please.”

“Kara,” Lena tries to make a feeble effort to not stand on her friend’s feet, “I am not a child learning how to dance.”

“Please?”

Lena can’t find it in her to resist. Kara holds out her right hand, and Lena takes it as she awkwardly steps onto Kara’s feet. “Let the record show that-” She’s cut off by Kara pulling her closer with her left hand on Lena’s hip, and she instinctively wraps her arms around Kara’s neck as Kara’s free hand joins the other on Lena’s hips.

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Kara whispers and starts to sway them to the music.

As amazing as this feels, Lena opens her mouth to question their sanity in the moment - feeling certain that the imp has done something to their minds. “Kara, why would -”

“Shh,” Kara hushes her friend and pulls her closer. Their arms wrap fully around each other, and chins rest on shoulders. Sighs simultaneously escape their lips that are so close to the other person’s ear.

“Aren’t you curious why he -”

“No.”

“You don’t know what I -”

“Yes I do.”

Lena lets out a laugh that turns into a sigh. Deciding to just accept this crazy dream land she obviously is in at the moment, Lena allows the tension to slowly flow from her body. She feels her eyes close of their own volition and relaxes in Kara’s hold. If this is all conjured up by some magical being, Lena wants to enjoy it. Of all of the situations she has been forced into since moving to National City, this is the least life-threatening so far. If it takes a more dangerous turn, she has Supergirl wrapped around her at the moment. Lena doesn’t bother deciphering whether this is all real or not. Knowing wouldn’t change anything. For the moment, she could simply enjoy the warmth and support Kara is providing her. The support Kara always readily gives her is nothing she has ever experienced before, and she finally understands why all of those girls in school smiled so brightly when they spoke of home and family.

Kara smiles when she feels Lena relax against her and holds her just a little closer. She doesn’t feel like Kara Danvers or Supergirl right now. She’s just… Kara. In this moment, with Lena in her arms, she isn’t the last of a near extinct alien race trying to find a place on this planet. She isn’t hiding behind any of her walls built to both protect and hide her from the people of this world. With Lena in her arms, she’s suddenly back on Krypton, the last place she truly let go with her family. No one told her to hide who she really is. There was no fear of rejection… of otherness… This moment is something that is all hers, where she can be all of her. Kara has had to change her definition of home several times, but she left a piece of herself behind with each move. Right here… right now… all of those pieces are coming back to her. Memories of family meals on Krypton… learning games with the Danvers in Midvale… reuniting with her big sister after transferring to National City University… renting her first apartment and inviting friends over… Every feeling of home she’s ever felt comes bubbling to the surface in the ballroom.

Feeling the deep breath Kara takes in, Lena pulls her head off of Kara’s shoulder to look her in the eye. The words and breath catch in her throat when her eyes meet Kara’s tear-filled ones. “Kara?” she whispers into the small distance between them.

Smiling, Kara shakes her head slightly with a nervous chuckle. She looks down at their feet, unsure of what to say.

Lena’s eyebrows furrow at a weird sensation, and she glances down. Instantly, her arms tighten around Kara, pulling their bodies flush together. “Kara!” she says a touch breathlessly. “We’re floating.”

The chuckle that escapes Kara surprises Lena, who can feel it more than she can hear it. “You’re just now noticing?”

Pulling her head back, but keeping their bodies close, Lena gives Kara a raised eyebrow look. Their faces are less than a foot apart. A smirk graces her features.


	21. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> <3

“I guess I was distracted.” Lena’s voice comes out much calmer than she feels, but Kara can hear her racing heart.

“You were?” Kara’s smile is a mix of wonder and shyness. 

Lena’s lip quirks upward. “Weren’t you?”

Kara’s eyes turn down again, and she takes in a breath that’s only slightly shaky. She was distracted. She was so lost in her thoughts, she may as well have been walking through a maze back in the Phantom Zone blindfolded. The feelings she has for Lena not only blend with those of her family and friends, but there’s something unique there. Now that she isn’t blocking herself off from that side of her feelings, she can absolutely see it. How had it taken so long? How was she so lost in her own insecurities? Why couldn’t her Supergirl bravery extend to this?

Supergirl has been dragged through the most ridiculous day of her life, and Kara is now dancing several feet off of the ground with her best friend. Something that has been missing since Krypton is sneaking back into her heart. She will always miss her home… will always feel Krypton with her every single day.  _ Is it okay to feel this close to the home she had on Krypton when it’s gone?  _

When her eyes find Lena’s again, there are tears threatening to spill. She meets the green eyes unflinchingly and fully accepts how she feels. “I was,” Kara whispers.

Lena’s smirk turns into a soft smile. Cautiously sliding her right arm from its grip around Kara’s neck, Lena’s palm runs from her neck to cup Kara’s cheek. With her thumb, she brushes the tears away as they attempt to escape. “What’s wrong?” 

Kara remains in stunned silence. Feeling uncertain, Lena begins to pull her hand away, but Kara’s hand moves to hers in a blur to hold it in place against her cheek. When she feels sure Lena’s hand will stay there, Kara brings her arm back around Lena’s waist. She leans into the touch on her cheek and smiles at Lena. 

Another tear is brushed away by Lena’s thumb, and Kara’s eyes glance away again. “Am I crazy for wanting this whole thing to be real?” Lena whispers. Her eyes fill with hope and wonder when she hears the words fall from her own lips… words that were meant to stay in her mind.

Confident to meet Lena’s eyes again, Kara further leans into Lena’s touch. “Then maybe we’re both crazy.” She smiles when her ears pick up the change in Lena’s heart rate.

The silence extends as they float in time to the music - both lost in their own thoughts.

Lena tilts her head, as she searches her friend’s eyes. She analyzes Kara’s words thoroughly. When she awoke that morning, it was just like any other Monday. How did magically being roped to a rocket lead to this? Dancing in midair with her best friend… the embodiment of warmth and compassion… the woman who has saved her so many times.

Kara. Kara is holding her close and giving her an open… honest… caring expression. Kara, who fills her with hope, wants this to be real. Lena doesn’t know what this is exactly, but she is hesitant to vocalize her thoughts. She took a leap when she told Kara that she had never had friends or family like her before. It wasn’t everything she wanted to express to Kara, but it was the truth. It was one of the more honest sentiments she has ever expressed to someone - if not the most honest. 

“Kara, I-”

“Lena-”

They speak at the same time resulting in Lena smirking and Kara nervously laughing. Lena’s hand slides to Kara’s shoulder, and Kara misses the contact. “You first,” Lena whispers.

The Kryptonian swallows thickly and nods to herself. Her eyes flash away from Lena’s as she gathers the confidence she needs to vocalize what she is finally understanding. “Lena… I don’t know if this… if any of today is real. I mean… yes, it all happened, but they were a bunch of tricks. I don’t really understand his powers, but…” She bites her lip, and meets Lena’s eyes again. “He can’t… He has no power over the will of others.” She takes a deep breath. “This...” She clears her throat. “What we’re doing… and feeling right now is all us. You…” She looks down again while she talks. “I haven’t felt like this since Krypton,” she finishes in a small voice.

Lena lowers her head to catch Kara’s eyes. “Felt like what, Kara?”

Kara makes eye contact before opening her mouth to speak. Her eyes are determined and bright. “Like I can really have a home here. That I don’t have to…” She swallows the sudden lump in her throat. “That I can live with the guilt.”

Lena feels a tightness in her chest and tightens her hold on Kara. “Kara…” Her eyes soften. “You deserve to be happy here. You lost… everything, but you...” She lets out an awe-filled breath. “You are so caring, and you strive to keep others from feeling that kind of pain. You, Kara, save people everyday from losing their homes, their families.” Kara’s gaze is full of wonder. “You taught me what home is.” Lena’s voice turns breathless. “Because of you, I know how it feels to have someone care about you. Genuinely care.” Her fingers brush against Kara’s shoulder. “You are such a giving person, and you never expect anything in return.” Lena smiles. “That is so lovely, Kara.” Her right hand moves from its position on Kara’s shoulder and slides down to stop above Kara’s pounding heart. “You carry so much pain and loss.” Her thumb moves against skin in a soft caress. “But you still have so much compassion a- and love. The mere fact that you don’t know just how wonderful you are only makes you moreso. 

“I cannot imagine what losing Krypton was like for you.” She sees a tear escape Kara’s eye. “I would love to hear all about it though. You don’t have to carry that burden alone.” Her lip quirks partially into a smirk. “As strong as those shoulders are, they don’t have to carry the guilt for surviving.” Kara’s eyes take on a new flame. “If it weren’t for your surviving, there truly would be no Krypton left.”

Kara takes in a sharp breath, and it escapes shakily after a few moments as they stop moving to the music. Their eyes remain focused on each other’s. “Lena,” Kara begins before the words are completely ready, “you… are amazing, I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving of having a home full of love than you. Rao, Lena. I’ve been here for 13 years, listening to the Danvers and my cousin comfort me as they help me fit in here.” She wrinkles her forehead in thought. “It’s not that I didn’t… It  **was** comforting hearing them say all of those things, but there was still always this lost girl inside of me that was only being hidden behind walls of new memories in new homes. With you…” She looks down a moment, nodding before meeting Lena’s eyes again. “I don’t want to keep her hidden. You make me feel like it’s okay to be that girl that lost her planet. You’ve always been so patient, and you’ve allowed me to just… be Kara.”

“You will always be Kara to me.”

“And you’ll always be Lena.”

“Promise?” Lena smiles with a single, breathless laugh.

“I promise.” Kara smiles back. “I will never let you feel alone again, Lena.”

“As long as I have you, I never will be.” Her breath hitches, and her heart races as the words fall from her lips without thought.

Kara can barely hear Lena’s change in heart rate over her own racing heart. She tightens her hold on Lena, bringing their bodies in complete contact. Lena is forced to move her right hand back to Kara’s neck. Their breathing syncs together, as they stare into one another’s eyes. The distance between their faces is almost nonexistent. Inches of air separate them. Lena bites her lip, causing Kara’s eyes to briefly capture the movement before jumping back up to Lena’s eyes. Her head unconsciously shifts closer, cutting the distance in half. “Lena,” she whispers, “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me.”

“Promise?” Lena repeats her earlier question in a voice so soft she could barely hear it herself. She shortens the distance even more, eyes never leaving the blue ones fixed on hers.

“I promise,” Kara whispers, her breath hitting Lena’s lips.

Lena inhales sharply at the sensation, her hand on Kara’s neck flexing. Kara closes the distance between their lips in response, and Lena’s hand winds into hair as she instantly melts into the soft lips against hers. 

At the first touch, their minds go blank and on overdrive simultaneously. The ballroom music fades out to nothing, and their lips find a rhythm together. Tilting her head, Lena deepens the kiss, and Kara’s arms tighten around Lena before one travels up her back. Lena’s fingers gently scratch at the nape of Kara’s neck at the feeling of Kara’s hand rubbing her back. Kara lets out a sigh, sending the butterflies in Lena’s stomach fluttering at double speed. They create their own bubble floating several feet above the ground. 


	22. A True Team

Kara feels as if her stomach is flying itself. Nothing else exists in this moment apart from the two of them. They are completely attuned to one another. Kara’s senses blank and hone in on one thing… Lena. Her mind notices nothing apart from the woman in her arms. Not a single word can clear the haze of her mind.

Certifiable genius, impressively young CEO, Lena Luthor is experiencing a complete shutdown of all thoughts. For once, her mind is so overwhelmed with her senses that she cannot think coherently. Everything in this moment is just Kara. 

After what feels like an eternity, the kiss slows. Their kisses become chaste pecks until Kara leaves one final kiss on Lena’s lips. A sigh escapes Lena to flow over Kara’s lips that are still achingly close. Keeping their eyes closed, they rest their foreheads together. Although their breaths are quickened, smiles are gracing their faces. Letting out a sound between a sigh and a giggle, Kara tries to gain control over her mind in order to speak. The smile on her face is absolutely unbidden, but utterly welcome.

Lena regains her words first. “If I open my eyes, will this be real?” She doesn’t dare speak louder than a whisper.

Taking a breath, Kara thinks opening their eyes at the same time would be best. “On the count of three?” 

Laughing breathlessly at Kara’s adorableness, Lena nods against Kara’s forehead. “Okay.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three,” they say together as they slowly crack their eyes open and lift their heads to look at each other.

They smile at the woman in front of them for a few moments in silence. Lena’s dimples show as her smile widens. She bites her lips, causing Kara to giddily look down with another giggle. 

At the same time, Lena’s eyes look around while Kara’s focus on their feet. “Um…” Kara isn’t sure what to make of what she’s seeing.

“Kara?” Lena’s eyebrows are raised, and her eyes are taking in their surroundings. Kara meets Lena’s eyes again with a confused expression. “What happened?”

Lowering them to the ground, Kara gets a better look at the surroundings while Lena steps off of Kara’s boots. “We’re back in your office.” Her arms slide from around Lena’s back to her waist, extending the distance between them. Lena’s arms also move from their tight hold around Kara to rest partially on Kara’s shoulders and chest. “Alone.” Suddenly nervous, Kara’s hands fall from their grip on Lena to land at her own sides. “Back in our own clothes.”

Lena brushes a thumb across the supersuit before bringing her hands to twist with each other in front of her stomach. “So we are.” She looks around to find her office exactly as she left it. “I’m assuming he’s gone now.” Her eyebrow quirks at Supergirl, who finally looks at her face again.

A moment of silence passes, and Supergirl begins to laugh nervously as her hand rubs at her forehead. “Rao,” she whispers when the chuckles wind down. “It was us.”

“Pardon?” Lena tries not to feel offended by the laughter, recognizing it as Supergirl being nervous.

She waves a hand between Lena and herself. “His hint.” Supergirl begins using her hands as she speaks. “It didn’t really make sense for him to be talking about the, uh, about people I work with as Supergirl… or the Super Friends.”

“Super Friends?” Lena smirks at Supergirl.

“I didn’t come up with the name,” Supergirl insists. “He did all this so that we…” She tilts her head, trying to think of exactly what Mr. Mxyzptlk’s objective was. In another internal struggle, she battles with what she doesn’t want to admit is probably accurate. Although she is aware of this particular struggle, she doesn’t find it any easier to get pass.

Seeing the conflict rushing through Supergirl’s features, Lena takes a steadying breath for the both of them. “I don’t think us dancing together was what sent him home, Kara.”

Supergirl bites her lip, and gazes into Lena’s eyes. “I know,” she finally whispers. The anxious knots in her stomach only unclench partially.

Lena’s jaw tightens in fear that her friend’s anxiety is her fault. “Kara, we don’t-”

“No!” Supergirl’s vibrato returns, and she steps in Lena’s space. Her hands cover Lena’s fidgeting ones. “No,” she repeats in a softer voice. “Don’t do that. Don’t think I did or said anything I didn’t mean… or didn’t want to.” Her voice lowers more at the end.

“You do realize this whole game resulted in an ending strikingly similar to those Disney films you are so obsessed with, don’t you?” Lena quirks an eyebrow with her smirk. “With the use of “true” to define a relationship.”

Raising a hand to her chest, the Kryptonian feigns offense. “Miss Luthor,” she huffs, “I seem to recall a certain CEO getting really invested in  _ Beauty and the Beast. _ ” She fails to maintain a serious expression.

Lena’s lips purse in order to fight the smile threatening to break out on her face. “And who is this CEO that you have been watching Disney movies with, Supergirl?”

“Oh.” Supergirl waves her free hand in front of her in nonchalance. “She’s just this brilliant person with a huge heart. Totally one of those brave Disney princesses, by the way. The kind that you would be terrified to call a damsel in distress.”

“Hmm,” Lena hums as she pulls one of her hands free to brush a stray lock of hair out of Supergirl’s face, and she leaves her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Should I be jealous?”

“Absolutely.” Supergirl grins widely.

The laugh that Lena releases instantly becomes the hero’s favorite laugh of hers. “In that case, maybe I should give Kate Kane a call.” Her voice is teasing.

Supergirl’s eyes go wide, realising she’s lost the upper hand in this teasing game of theirs. “You know, she can’t even fly.”

Lena’s hand slides down to trace the House of El crest, humming in thought. “That’s true.” Supergirl smiles triumphantly. “But…” She playfully smirks at the hero. “Black is a striking color for a suit.” Supergirl scoffs. “However, it’s more my color, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You do pull off the dark color schemes better than anyone.” It’s Supergirl’s turn to smirk.

“Is that so?” Lena takes a step closer, her hand lying flat against Supergirl’s crest. 

Supergirl hums an affirmative. She releases Lena’s other hand to bring her own hands to play with the hem of Lena’s deep blue blouse. “Your cape would definitely be a nice, dark color.”

The feeling of Kara’s hands playing with her shirt makes Lena’s heart race. A deep chuckle raises in her throat. “I can’t say I have any use for a cape, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You should. Batwoman would be completely shown up if you ever tried out a suit.”

“You flatter me.”

“I only speak the truth. You know that.” 

“Hmm, maybe trying on a suit wouldn’t be such a bad idea if I get these kind of compliments from Supergirl.” A ghost of a wink is directed at Supergirl.

“I know a guy.” Supergirl beams.

Lena laughs again, shaking her head as she looks down. When she looks up, her eyes and smile are full of wonder and happiness. “I will keep that in mind. That is, of course, if I don’t just borrow Batwoman’s.” She can’t help but tease her friend again. The hero groans with a playful eye roll. “I must admit, I was shocked at your reaction to her today.” She tilts her head with a grin. “‘You’ve been hit on the head one too many times?’ Really, Kara?” Lena teases Supergirl’s earlier riff at Batwoman.

Supergirl’s head falls back to look at the ceiling with another groan. “I really don’t know where that came from.” Her eyes find Lena again to see the woman biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Was it really that bad?”

Biting her lip harder, Lena gives a small nod. “It’s okay though. She was just as bad.”

“Yeah?” Supergirl moves closer, her hands holding onto Lena’s hips. “Should I be jealous?” She repeats Lena’s question.

“Of Batwoman?” Lena brings her face closer until she can feel the gasp her friend lets out on her own lips. “She can’t even fly,” she whispers mere inches from Supergirl’s lips.

Surging forward, Supergirl closes the distance between their lips again. Before the kiss can deepen, she pulls back with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. 

Lena’s face contorts in worry. “What-”

“Oh Rao!” Supergirl brings one hand to cover her mouth as she looks away briefly. “Alex is going to kill me if she finds out that Batwoman knows who I am!” 

Letting out a chuckle full of relief that she didn’t scare her friend away, Lena slides her hands up to cup her friend’s cheeks. The movement softens the hero’s face, and a sheepish smile takes residence. “I think Kate Kane will keep your mutual secret, Kara.” She reminds the hero that they know Batwoman’s secret identity as well.

Supergirl nods slowly, her eyes never leaving Lena’s. “You’re right.” Before Lena can even think of a remark to defend her intelligence, Supergirl’s lips are on hers again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Distract me from this dreadful salad with comments please... I tried to make my own sugar-free caesar dressing... Now, all I can smell are anchovies and garlic... and the taste is... bearable...
> 
> Why can't I just keep a up a toned body and eat fried chicken...


	23. Back to the Real World

Reluctantly, Lena pulls away from the hero, placing both hands on the crest to keep the both of them from leaning in again. Supergirl’s eyes flutter open to see Lena watching her intently. 

“Lena?” Supergirl’s voice is a touch concerned.

A moment of fear flashes through Lena’s mind at the thought of what she’s about to say. “Kara…” She takes a steadying breath and feels Supergirl’s grip slide from her back to her waist. “Don’t freak out, okay?” She waits for the Kryptonian to nod. “We should talk about… this.” A hand comes off of the crest to gesture between the two of them.

“Oh.” Supergirl’s eyebrows pinch together. “Right.”

Lena feels Supergirl’s hands start to move away from her waist, and she uses both of her hands to cover the hero’s. Her eyes stare into Supergirl’s, silently encouraging her to leave her hands where they are resting. Supergirl smiles shyly, and Lena glides her hands up the strong arms to rest them on the blue-covered shoulders. “I- I want you to know that I meant everything I said back in that place. It wasn’t just something that imp crafted.” She squeezes the shoulders under her hands. “I… don’t doubt that you meant what you said, but I think we should take the time to talk in a place and at a time of our choosing. I don’t want this to just be some product of a magical being’s tricks.”

Supergirl rushes to assure Lena. “It’s not, I-”

“Kara, let me finish.” Her voice is gentle, but holds authority. She hears the hero’s mouth shut with an audible click. “You are so special to me. There are so many words clearly left unspoken after all of this time. As I said before, we have time.”

“We have time,” Supergirl whispers.

The CEO runs her hands from Supergirl’s shoulders to her neck. “Before you go check in with the people you work with to let them know that Mxy is gone, and I finish up here in the office, I…” She bites her lip and looks the woman up and down. “I like you, Kara. If this is something you want, you-”

“Yes!” The hands on Lena’s waist tighten in reassurance, pulling Lena a few inches closer. “I- I… yes. Yes to everything. Yes to us talking more, and yes to me wanting… this.” She’s aware that they have yet to use a clear definition for exactly what they are doing. “I like you too, Lena.” The smile that spreads across Lena’s face pulls out her dimples in full force, and the Kryptonian feels the warmth she now associates with Lena flow through her. There’s not an ounce of the usual steel defenses Lena wears. This is 100% Lena. The blonde now sees how young Lena truly is. “I really like you,” she adds in a wistful voice.

Lena plays with a lock of hair spilling over Supergirl’s neck, twirling it around her finger. Her eyes don’t leave the blue ones in front of her. “I really like you.”

Acting on impulse, the hero leans forward for a quick kiss. “Good.”

Chuckling deep in her throat, Lena smiles at her.  _ What are we now?  _ “Kara?” The blonde hums in question, and tilts her head. “Are… Do…” She clears her throat, frustrated with her lack of coherency. “What’s your birth name?” It’s not the question she wanted to ask, but she goes with it.

The question sends a brief moment of shocked confusion across Supergirl’s features, but she recovers just as fast. “It’s Kara. Unlike my cousin, I was given a name that could blend in here. My, uh, surname, I guess, is Zor-El.” She shrugs. “Names worked a little differently back h… on Krypton.”

Lena brings one hand up to cup a cheek. “Kara Zor-El?” She notices the slight differences in the way “Kara” sounds with the alternate last name. 

A charmed smile appears on the Kryptonians face. She nods. “Perfect.” A splash of pride runs through her.

Biting her lip again, Lena works up the nerves to ask the question she really wants to. “Kara, no matter what you wear or what name you go by, you will always be Kara to me. Always.” The words cause the other woman to bite her lip shyly in response. “Kara.” Her thumb brushes across the cheekbone it rests against, and she swallows past the feeling of her own racing heart. “Would you like to go out with me?” She can’t help but be proud of herself for getting the sentence out steadily. In other circumstances, the slow pace at which Supergirl’s smile grows would be humorous and charming, but Lena is too overwhelmed by her emotions at the moment.

“Like…” Supergirl’s head tilts closer conspiratorially. “Out on a date or out out as in together?”

Lena chuckles because, of course,  _ Kara would be able to answer such a nerve wracking question in the most unexpectedly adorable way.  _ “Kara,” she says as she moves both hands behind the blonde’s neck, “I will accept an answer to either or both.”

“Yes!” She pulls Lena back into another kiss.

Breathlessly, Lena pulls back from the kiss. “Wait…” She runs her fingers through soft hair. “Yes to which question?”

“Both!” Absolutely giddy, Supergirl bounces on the ball of her feet. This time, Lena initiates the kiss, enthusiastically tugging the hero close to her. Their hands hold each other closer, both trying to express their happiness. With one more kiss, the Kryptonian backs away with a shy smile adorning her face. “So,” she says while her fingers play with the hem of Lena’s shirt again, “um, does this mean that all of those times we’ve hung out before are dates now?” Her voice is both flirty and shy.

Lena giggles, a sound so foreign falling from her lips. “Oh, Kara.” Her forehead falls to one of the strong shoulders in front of her. “Only you…” She laughs again before bringing her head back up to look into the blue eyes. 

“Hey,” Supergirl says as she attempts to sound offended, but her smile betrays her. “It’s a real question.”

With a smile on her face, Lena places a kiss on the smiling lips. “How about we call them pre-dates?”

“Pre-dates?” Her eyes narrow with pursed lips, looking dubious.

Lena kisses the lips that are too close to a pout. “Yes, pre-dates… because I want us to remember our first date as a first date from the beginning.”

The hero bites her lip and lowers her head to look at Lena from below her lashes. “I like that.”

“And I like you.” Lena kisses her again, not minding how much she has slipped from her usual image she has carried for so many years.

“Mmm,” she hums when Lena pulls away. “I could get used to this.”

“Good.” Lena smirks after placing another kiss on her lips. 

Their spell is broken by a buzzing from underneath Supergirl’s cape. “Uh oh.” Her eyes go wide with a guilty look thrown at Lena.

Laughing, Lena slides her hand under the cape to search for the phone. She pulls it out and extends it to the hand that Supergirl moves off of her waist. “I guess I’ve kept you too long.”

Supergirl’s hand closes over her phone and Lena’s fingers. “It’ll never be too long, Lena.” She answers the phone before Lena can respond, smirking at Lena’s catch in breath. “Hey, Alex.” A touch regretfully, Lena drops her arms from the shoulders they are resting on to fall to her sides. Supergirl pouts a little at the loss. “Yeah, no, no. He’s gone.” She takes her arm from around Lena’s waist, and watches her step back to go to her desk. “I don’t know. 30 minutes? Nothing’s come up on the sensor thing, right?” Lena sorts through papers on her desk. “I was planning on it, yes. Um, I, uh, got a little sidetracked.” Lena watches the hero start to fidget. “Yes, I am there now.” She clears her throat. “Alex, stop.” She looks at Lena with an embarrassed smile. “I’ll tell you later, Alex. Just… I’ll go check in now.” Lena opens her laptop. “Goodbye, Alex,” she says pointedly, wanting her sister’s comments to stop. Her phone slides back into the secret pocket after she hangs it up. 

Lena meets her eyes with a smirk. “Sidetracked?” she teases.

The hero clears her throat and lifts a hand to push up glasses that aren’t there. She ends up awkwardly waving her hand next to her face, and lets it fall to her side. “Yeah, she’s not at work, so that means I get to put off some teasing for the night at least.”

“Teasing?” Lena’s smirk grows.

“Um.” Supergirl shuffles one foot. “You said you had some work to finish?”

“I did.” The teasing smirk is still there.

“Wait, it’s almost midnight. You should go home.” The hero’s arms cross sternly.

“You know well enough that I’ve stayed here much later than this.” 

“Well…”

“And I don’t know if you heard, but I was whisked away on… What did he call it? A romantic adventure.” Her eyebrow quirks in her teasing manner.

“You know, I think I did hear something about that.”

“I won’t be here long. I just need to check on some things.”

“Do you want a ride home later?”

“My driver knew to stay around until 1. But…” She taps her fingers on the desk. “I wouldn’t be opposed to you flying by the penthouse later.” She winks.

Supergirl’s arm uncross, and she straightens as she bites her lip. “Of course, Miss Luthor.” She winks.

“See you around, Supergirl.” Both of Lena’s eyebrows raise this time.

“Yes, you will.” In a heartbeat, Supergirl is next to Lena behind her desk. “Text me?” Her soft voice hits Lena’s lips that are inches away.

“Of course,” she whispers before closing the distance between their lips. She pulls back too soon for either of their liking and grins at Supergirl’s still closed eyes. 

A moment later, Supergirl’s eyes flutter open, and a grin takes over her face. “Bye,” she whispers. In a quick burst of speed, she leaves another kiss on Lena’s lips before flying out of the balcony door.

Shaking her head while laughing, Lena sits at her desk with the intent to leave as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not longer a bunch of chapters ahead. I'll be posting less often, since I have to wait until after I finish writing chapters. Also I'm planning the outline for the story that's like 10 after this one.
> 
> Poll:  
> Danvers-Luthor  
> or  
> Luthor-Danvers
> 
> I can't help but feel that the first one flows better with the "s" leading into the "L," as opposed to "r" to "D."


	24. The First Hire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My arms are sore af. But the definition of my biceps and triceps makes it totally worth it. And thank you to those of you that made suggestions for my salad. I've been testing out different things, and my tongue is not happy. But yay no sugar? Yeah... I'm sure I'll be saying yay when there is even more definition in my abs.

Lena fails to wipe the giddy smile off of her face while she types away on her laptop. She sent a text to Darias to inform him that she will be downstairs in 15 minutes. Fighting back the thoughts swirling around her head leading into utterly cliche territory, the CEO tries to focus on the latests results from Dr. Sanchez as opposed to the flips happening in her stomach. 

Seeing the endless letters and numbers of the report provides an odd sense of comfort. Surely, if the events of her evening were all part of an elaborate dream, there would not be this much work to manage. With that thought, her mind swirls back to Kara. She kissed Kara. Kara kissed her. 

“Damn,” Lena whispers and bites her thumb. “Since when am I a teenager?” She shakes her head as if the movement will clear thoughts of Kara and kissing from her mind. Her eyes resume perusing through Dr. Sanchez’s findings from the day. 

Lena pauses her steady scrolling for a moment, and her mouse backtracks several lines. As she reads every word, her eyebrows raise higher and higher. “Oh,” she says on an exhale. “That’s… going to be a big help.”

Slowly leaning back into her chair, she allows her gaze to shift to the skyline outside her balcony as she spins her chair to the side. Her phone beeps with the reminder she set, and she pulls her eyes away from the dark sky. Quickly gathering her things, she makes her way to the awaiting car downstairs.

Darias closes the door after she slides into her seat, and she allows her mind to wander during the drive.

* * *

_ “Jess,” Lena spoke to the woman who just walked walked into her small lab, “it’s not too late to back out.” _

_ The assistant was unaffected by the raised eyebrow she received from her boss. “Of the trip or the move?” _

_ Lena closed the notebook on the desk in front of her. “Yes.” Her face stayed neutral. _

_ Jess looked around the lab she had familiarized herself with over the past six months, since her boss refused to even go near the executive floor since her return. “The driver is here to take us to the airport, Miss Luthor.” _

_ Hearing the name caused an unpleasant sensation in Lena’s stomach, and she unconsciously squeezed her hands into fists out of view of Jess. The cold, impassive mask she had worn for the past year remained firmly in place as she regarded her assistant. “Very well, Jess.” She slipped her notebook and laptop in a bag and shouldered it. “Let’s get on with it.” Jess held the door open, and Lena strode through with her head held high. _

_ Both women’s eyes were glued to their tablets during the drive. When the driver held the door open for Lena, she stepped out with her eyes trained forward in steel defiance only she knew the source of. Jess followed a respectful distance behind to the awaiting jet. Lena refused to look at the fresh paint hiding the LuthorCorp logo from view. Ignoring her elevating heart race, she took a seat at the window with a view of the right wing. Jess moved to the back of the private jet and spoke with one of the attendants. After a few moments, the pilot alerted them of their departure. _

_ Lena spent the cross-country flight distracting herself with the portfolio on her lap, ensuring she was fully prepared for her impending meeting. When the announcement of their upcoming arrival broke the silence of the cabin, Lena saw Jess settle herself into a seat inside of the peripherals of Lena’s vision. Jess buckled her seatbelt without comment, and Lena felt a twinge of gratitude at the silent gesture of support. She held her breath when she felt the jet had begun its descent, although her face showed no sign of discontent apart from her jaw tightening. Her breath escaped through her nose when the sound of the wheels finally gaining friction reached her ears. She let the pilot’s voice filter out of her focus and watched the blurs outside the window become solid objects.  _

_ Jess stood first, while Lena gathered her bag and put on her sunglasses. Lena paused before the open door, taking in the sound of planes not far away. Nodding to herself, she stepped into the sunlight streaming down into the doorway. She was immediately pleased with herself for her jacket choice, since California in February was significantly warmer than the Delaware chill she just left. Her green eyes, hidden behind dark shades, scanned the immediate area. A black car waited several yards from the bottom of the steps, where Jess was speaking with a man wearing a suit and shades darker than her own. Lena noticed how intently the man was listening to everything Jess was saying, while still surveying his surroundings often. A light breeze fluttered the bottom of her blazer as she descended the stairs to the asphalt. Her heels made a distinct pattern on her path to the car. Jess’ back straightened at the sound, and her attention turned from the driver to Lena. _

_ “Miss Luthor,” Jess said formally. She stepped back to gesture to the driver, who was quick to extend his hand to Lena. _

_ “Darias, ma’am.” He shook Lena’s hand once before releasing it. The perceptive man saw Lena’s nearly imperceptible tightening of her jaw in reaction to her name. “It’s a pleasure.” _

_ Lena smiled professionally. “Indeed.” She turned to Jess. “We’ll go through the itinerary one final time on the way to Cordova.” Darias took the hint, and held open the car door. Jess walked around to the other side, so Lena wouldn’t have to slide across the seat. By the time she joined Lena in the back seat, her boss was engrossed in emails. _

_ Not wasting any time, Jess tapped open the needed document on her tablet. “We are 15 minutes ahead of schedule, and it will take us…” _

_ The words filtered into Lena’s mind, as she mentally prepared herself for the hectic day in National City. _

* * *

_ The car pulled into a garage off of Cordova St per Lena’s request. She stayed hidden behind her thick sunglasses, and stepped out of the door that Darias opened for her. “Thank you, Darias.” She gave him a polite smile and secured the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Jess fell in half a step diagonally behind Lena, and they walked toward the elevator.  _

_ Lena rolled her eyes at the logo that greeted them when the doors slid open, immediately turning her back to it once inside the metal box. Jess selected the button for the lobby. They stepped out into an eerily quiet lobby with only a security guard sitting at a small table. He stood up at the ding of the elevators and approached the women.  _

_ “What are you doing here?” He sounded more annoyed at having his lazy Sunday afternoon interrupted than concerned about the security of the building.  _

_ Raising an eyebrow in challenge, Lena stared at the man for a tense moment. “Check your security clearance, and you will find a Tess Mercer has been granted access for an unguided tour for the day.” _

_ The man sucked his teeth with an audible sound that was joined by a small eye roll. “Wait here.” He turned back to his computer, and Jess moved toward the man with the intention of broaching his lack of professionalism. Lena raised a hand to halt her, making a mental note to create her own security team from scratch. The security guard walked back to them, grumbling under his breath. “There ain’t much to see, but you’ve got full access. I’ll have to get ya a key card.” _

_ Keeping her cold eyes on the man, Lena produced a silver and blue card from her bag to show him with a miniscule smirk.  _

_ “Have at it.” He waved a dismissive hand, turning back to his desk. _

_ Lena quirked an eyebrow. Without a word, she turned on her heel and motioned Jess to follow her. They slipped around a corner in eery silence. Lena expected the building to be devoid of life, but experiencing it was different than knowing. When Lex was first captured last July, many employees left. Even more left at the news of Lena Luthor taking the position. Of the employees left after that, a scarce number made it through the new CEO’s background checks. She had left the bare minimum in National City’s branch of LuthorCorp and began the process of shutting down the Metropolis office entirely. The few people innocent of siding with Lex were personally given the option of specifically catered severance packages, a new position elsewhere, or a recommendation.  _

_ They walked through each floor of the building, and both women took extensive notes on changes that would need to be made over the next six months. Lena spent a significant amount of time in the control room of the security network to install the codes she created herself. She was thoroughly impressed with what the building had to offer, deciding it would be sufficient for her new main office.  _

_ Finding a floor with a number of larger rooms and a layout she was quite fond of, Lena selected it as her own floor. She discovered a room with a wall of windows facing the National City skyline. Soon, she was imagining what the view would be like after a long day of work, and she surprised herself by the thoughts of a balcony. For a brief moment, she wondered if the balcony would lead to a recent, heroic addition to the city taking it upon herself to use it as easy access to keep tabs on the new Luthor. The thought vanished quickly. _

_ “Jess,” Lena said to get the attention of the woman tapping furiously on her tablet. _

_ “Yes, Miss Luthor?” The tablet was ignored to give full attention to her boss. _

_ “While I’m at my next appointment, I need you to draft up a detailed layout of this floor. Get everything you can on room sizes, electrical capabilities, access… all of it.” She did a small spin to take in her future office that was currently being used as some sort of lounge. “Begin vetting a list of contractors and designers.” _

_ “Yes, ma’am.” She took notes on her tablet. “Will you be needing the car, Miss Luthor?” _

_ “No, not just yet. Do send me his number though.” Jess was quick to send the message. “Take a break when you need it. I will return by 6.” _

_ “Yes, ma’am.” Jess began walking around the office to inspect its features. _

_ Satisfied, Lena left the room to go straight to the elevator nearest her future office. Her eyes stayed away from the LuthorCorp logo taunting her on the back wall. She swiped her proximity card over the reader before pressing the button that would take her to the floor of labs that stood out to her during her tour. She took the brief trip to input a note on her phone to switch this floor to a two-point security clearance with biometric requirements.  _

_ The elevator doors slid open to reveal black walls lit with striking fluorescent lights. An order for paint had already been placed onto her list of notes for this floor - as well as many other parts of the building. Lex had the LuthorCorp logo plastered gaudily in an exuberant amount of places, and they all had to be removed or covered before she would begin working there. There was a particularly large lab near the service elevator that had piqued her interest earlier, and she wanted to get a closer look by herself.  _

_ The lab was situated at the bend in the wide corridor, providing it with two adjacent walls shared with the hallway. Each wall had a double door leading into the lab with a passcode entrance. Lena had scoffed at the low-level security measures, realizing how little Lex cared for this branch of the company. The lab was a long rectangle full of metal tables with little to no sign of use. This building was less than two years old, and that showed in the evident lack of use of a majority of the building. Some of the equipment still remained in boxes. She deliberately walked the perimeter and between each table, gathering complete knowledge of the room. It was, by far, the largest lab in the entire building, giving some of the labs back in Metropolis a run for their money. Half of the far wall was equipped with large vents, containment units, fridges, and storage shelves, creating an alcove with the other half of the wall and the adjacent one. Upon further inspection, she found that the machines and storage units were bolted in place. They wouldn’t be difficult to move, but Lena was drawn to the alcove they created. It would easily fit a few tables, some equipment, and other necessities for a single-person lab. Taking several pictures of everything, Lena finished with that room. There was one other room she wanted to look at, but would wait until after her next appointment. _

_ Shooting off a quick message to Darias from her business cell phone, she began the walk back to the elevator. The drive was uneventful, and Lena was grateful for the man’s professionalism and discretion. He made a point to pull the car into the back of the parking lot of the local coffee shop she had researched a week prior. When she informed him that she did not want to be dropped off in the front, he adjusted course without question. She opened her own door and smoothed her blouse with one hand before walking away from the car.  _

_ With her sunglasses firmly in place, she pulled the door open to the sound of instrumental music. Keeping one hand on her bag, she waited behind a couple of women in line. Lena stayed alert to her surroundings, but found herself quirking an eyebrow at a few of the odd comments coming from the conversation in front of her.  _

_ The shorter woman appeared to be using coffee with an unhealthy amount of sugar to distract the other from possibly getting fired over something to do with glasses. Lena pulled out her phone, as she tried to tune out the women several feet in front of her. She couldn’t make out the words the taller woman was saying, but she picked up on the exasperated tone she was using. The two women were handed their coffees. As they walked away, a few words hit her ears: “assistant,” “literally everything,” “two years,” and “elevator.”  _

_ Idly, Lena reminded herself that she would need to hire at least two more assistants as she stepped up to the counter to order the darkest roast they had to offer. Customers were scattered around at the quaint tables. The amount of laptops and textbooks opened led Lena to believe that National City University must have been in the throes of midterm season. She took the coffee with a “thank you” to the college-aged woman and claimed a table in a fairly empty corner. Her seat gave her a view of the entrance, but the counter afforded her some privacy from the larger section of the shop. While her coffee cooled enough to be safe for human consumption, Lena removed the notebook she needed from her bag. She flipped it open on the table before testing the temperature of her coffee.  _

_ Lena heard the door open, but kept her eyes on the notebook in front of her. After several minutes, she saw someone coming near in her peripheral vision. With the powerful grace of a lioness, the young CEO leaned against the back of the chair and crossed her legs at the knees in the same motion to gaze at the woman that walked up to her. A sly grin teased at the corner of her lips. _

_ “Am I late?” The woman asked Lena. _

_ “Not at all.” She gestured to the seat across from her. “Have a seat, Dr. Sanchez.” _

_ The woman sat down, setting her coffee on the table gently. “It’s nice to finally meet after so many months of correspondence.” _

_ “That it is.” Lena took a sip of her coffee. “You were not an easy woman to find.” _

_ “Me specifically, or someone with my skillset?” _

_ “Yes.” Lena’s eyebrow did its signature quirk. _

_ The older woman paused to drink from her coffee cup. She waited until her cup was back on the table before she spoke again. “Can we skip to the part where we don’t pretend that I haven’t discovered your real name?” _

_ Lena’s smirk turned devilish. “And there’s the fire I was waiting for under those two doctorates.” _

_ “Your doctorate and two master’s degrees are rather impressive too.” _

_ “It’s gratifying to know you are forward enough to examine before you experiment.”  _

_ Dr. Sanchez chuckled. “Is that your way of saying ‘look before you leap’?” _

_ Somehow, Lena made shrugging her shoulders look absolutely elegant. “It’s far more relative.” _

_ Nodding, the older woman took another sip of her coffee. “So,” she began as she leaned forward, “I’m assuming you do not want me to say your name with what’s going on at the moment. Shall I continue to call you Miss Mercer?” _

_ “If you insist.” Lena’s thumb tapped against her coffee cup. _

_ “Very well.” Dr. Sanchez leaned back in her chair again. “Miss Mercer, I believe you had a proposition for me.” _

_ “I did.” She paused to drink more of her coffee. Her hands laid flat on the notebook in front of her when she set the cup back down. “I’m moving to National City by the end of the summer.” She looked intently at the woman across from her. “I’d like to work with you on a project I think you will find interesting.” _

* * *

_ Darias put the car in park in the garage of LuthorCorp. He exited the car and opened the door for both woman to exit. The conversation flowed easily between the women about various engineering topics, as Lena led Dr. Sanchez into the elevator. Soon, they were exiting onto the specified floor.  _

_ “The space truly is ideal. It offers both discretion and opportunities for higher security… without being too obvious, of course.” Lena’s voice grew a touch more animated as she led her companion through the corridors.  _

_ When they passed the service elevator, Dr. Sanchez brightened slightly. “This floor was clearly designed to cater to a need for bringing in large equipment.” _

_ “Yes, I intend to take full advantage of that.” Lena smirked easily. “Here it is.” A wave of her proximity card unlocked the door, and Lena held it open for Dr. Sanchez to precede her into the lab.” _

_ “You weren’t wrong,” Dr. Sanchez commented. She scanned the barren room. “It could work, yes.” She looked back at Lena. “Should I choose to come aboard.” _

_ “Should you choose to come aboard,” Lena agreed. _

_ “I must say it is as intriguing as it is mysterious,” Dr. Sanchez spoke of Lena’s offer.  _

_ “As I said, Dr. Sanchez, full disclosure is not an option without a contract.” Lena held her hands in front of her. _

_ Dr. Sanchez walked around the room in thought for a few moments. She stopped across the room from Lena and turned back to face her. “Okay, Miss Luthor. Where do we begin?” _

_ A smile that showed her teeth spread across Lena’s features, her eyes holding a hint of mischief. “I already have the paperwork.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another poll of sorts...
> 
> I need help with a SuperCorp kid name. I can't give any details on the kid, but I want a name that y'all will appreciate. Will the kid keep up the Luthor tradition of having an "L" name? Do they name her after a family member? Is she going to have some cute name with a meaning in another language? 
> 
> If you have a name in mind, add it in the comments. Feel free to add the why or meaning behind the name. Later, I'll take the top names, and create a poll. Discussion are welcomed and encouraged!
> 
> The story line is at least two years away from a SuperCorp kid, but I'm working on that outline now. As always, thanks for you support, feedback, kudos, and interest!


	25. Unanswered Questions

_“Yes,” the secretary spoke as her eyes glanced at her computer, “there you are.” Lena stood in front of the desk expectantly. “You can head on up, ma’am. He’s expecting you.” The secretary barely spared her a glance as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand toward the elevator. “Top floor.”_

_Lena wasn’t surprised by the encounter or the location of her meeting. She made her way to the elevator without comment, and the elevator opened a second after she pressed the button. 30 floors passed her by, and she took the time to ensure that her stoic mask was firmly in place and ready for anything. She allowed the doors to fully open before stepping out into the lobby._

_“Ah, Luthor.”_

_Slowly, Lena looked over her left shoulder toward the source of the voice. Her face remained impassive as her eyes found a familiar face. “Lord.” Not an ounce of any emotion could be detected in her voice._

_“I’m glad you could make it.” Maxwell Lord grinned conspiratorially at Lena. “It really has been too long since we last spoke.”_

_“Not long enough.”_

_“Oh, don’t be that way, Luthor.” He walked closer to her. “We haven’t gotten to the gun part yet.”_

_Lena turned to face him fully. “You’ve got 30 minutes. I have a flight to catch.”_

_“You mean you don’t want to spend time catching up, or I can give you plenty of tips on being the new big, bad CEO in town?” He was only a touch disappointed when he received no reaction from Lena. “Fine. Follow me.”_

_He walked past Lena, and waved her down the hallway. After a moment, she began walking with him. Both remained silence until Maxwell closed the door to a conference room they entered. “What do you want?” Lena asked from the opposite side of the table from Maxwell._

_“Please sit.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. He sat down in a chair, and his eyebrows lifted toward Lena as he waited for her to sit. She made him wait a moment before taking the seat furthest from Maxwell. “That’s better.” His fingers tapped on the table._

_“27 minutes.”_

_“My company was recently… targeted.” A darker tone entered his voice. “LuthorCorp has been known to have developed defenses against these kind of attacks.”_

_Lena watched him closely. “I’ve seen some of your security technology, Mr. Lord. They aren’t necessarily lacking in top of the line mechanisms. Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to know about?”_

_His lips twitched minutely. “Okay.” He leaned his forearms on the table. “I saw some weapons in action that were very familiar. Recently, I realized why that was. Your brother has had access to some… unique minerals.”_

_It took every ounce of self-control Lena had to not react to the implication. “And you are under the impression that I kept any of my brother’s creations from madness?”_

_“You’re a business woman, Lena. Why would you toss out nearly a decade of research that cost your company who knows how much money?”_

_“Because that money is useless if the world is blown up, Mr. Lord.” She leaned back in the chair. “Besides, Lex was thorough. No trace of his off the record research has been found. It would seem that you have reached a dead end.”_

_“There are no dead ends if you know what explosives to use.”_

_“I can’t say I have the explosives you are looking for.”_

_He watched her for a few tense moments of silence. Their eyes fenced in a battle of will. “Pity.” Maxwell finally settled back into his chair. “Perhaps it’s for the best. I trust my own inventions more than that of others.”_

_Lena stood from her chair. “As I said, I don’t have what you are looking for.”_

_“Woah, hold on.” He stood as well. “I still have 10 minutes, right?” His eyes shifted to his watch briefly. “Aren’t you at least curious about what this mineral is?”_

_“Mr. Lord, I have no interest in weapons.”_

_“But you are interested in defense against aliens.” Lena stiffened. “You don’t have to want to kill them off to want to be safe.”_

_“You are treading into risky territory, Mr. Lord. I don’t trust alien technology - their minerals included.”_

_“It’s not alien if it’s synthesized.”_

_“Will that be all, Mr. Lord?”_

_“For now.” He walked to the door, but paused with his hand on the handle. “I will be expecting more of your time next month.” He smiled when Lena gave him a questioning glance. “You didn’t think I would miss the biggest trial of the century, did you?”_

_Lena started walking to the door. “You’ll have to make an appointment.” She feigned an air of disinterest._

_Maxwell opened the door, but blocked her exit with his body. His gaze turned serious. “Don’t I always?” He swiftly moved out of the way._

_“Good evening, Mr. Lord.” Lena walked out of the door._

_“See you soon, Lena.”_

* * *

Lena feels a new wave of energy flow through her when she exits her private elevator into her apartment. As long as her day was, she can’t fight the rush of giddiness fighting through the exhaustion. It has been less than an hour since she has seen Kara, but she surprises herself with how much she is looking forward to seeing her again.

“Well…” She looked around her apartment that suddenly felt too large. “She did say to text her.”

* * *

Supergirl hovers outside of the DEO, taking deep breaths to combat the butterflies taking residence in her abdominals. She attempts to wipe the overwhelming smile on her face, but it’s to no avail. With a shrug, she flies in through her designated entrance to land in the nearly empty command center.

“Supergirl,” J’onn speaks from the opposite side of the table, “Agent Danvers informed us of your mission.” His arms are crossed, and he’s watching her closely.

Her smile only falters slightly at the implications of J’onn’s tone. “Yes, I had to make sure Lena was fine before I came in. He had taken us somewhere else, but he is gone now.”

“Just like that?” Alex’s voice lifts from behind Supergirl.

“Alex!” Supergirl spins around to face her sister. “What are you doing here?”

“I came in to check on you.” She crosses her arms. “What do you expect when you barely give me any answers through the phone.”

“Oh.” Supegirl fidgets under Alex’s questioning stare. “I couldn’t exactly talk about it around Lena?” The sentence comes out as a question, and Supergirl internally winces.

“Okay.” Alex draws out the word. “So what happened?” Her stance relaxes, and it is evident that she is tired when she joins the two aliens at the table in the command center.

“He tried kidnapping Lena and…” she quickly decides to leave Batwoman out of the discussion, “then I followed them. He transported us somewhere else. I’m not even sure where. But that’s not really important here.” She shakes her head into focus. “He had us in these dresses, and people were dancing, so I thought maybe he wanted us to dance or something like that.” She throws a sheepish smile at her sister. “I mean it made sense because of his hint about us being a team, so I figured out that he meant Lena and me. Then after we… after a little while, we were back in Lena’s office. It was like nothing happened. No signals have gone off or anything as far as I know.”

Alex and J’onn stare at her with unreadable expressions until she begins to squirm in the silence. “So,” Alex begins, “you had to dance with Lena Luthor in order to send him back to the fifth dimension?”

“Well when you put it like that…” Supergirl’s eyebrows furrow together.

“Agent Williams,” J’onn speaks to an agent typing furiously on a computer, “will you run Agent Schott’s program to confirm that Mr. Mxyzptlk is, in fact, gone from our dimension?”

“Yes sir.” The woman goes to another computer.

Alex looks at her sister, whose eyes won’t meet hers. She narrows her eyes, watching Supergirl focus on anything else in the room. “Ka-”

“Sir,” Agent Williams interrupts, “I’ve run the program twice here and in Metropolis. There is not a single trace of him.”

“Is that normal?” Supergirl asks J’onn. “Does he always just disappear with everything he created?”

“As far as our records go, yes.” J’onn nods. “He has to be here in order for any of his creations to remain.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” Supergirl asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

J’onn hums deep in his throat. “Good job, Supergirl. Get some rest.” He nods at both sisters, and leaves the command center to get sleep himself.

Supergirl watches him go, and Alex watches her. The superphone vibrates under her cape, and she pulls it out to check it.

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** I heard you had a busy day. I don’t suppose you were able to squeeze in a real dinner?

A giddy smile overtakes her face as she quickly types out a response.

 **Super Babe:** I can hardly remember the last time I ate.

The hero looks up at her sister, the smile still playing at her lips. With her arms crossed over her chest, Alex raises an eyebrow at her sister. Supergirl bites her lip to control the smile. “I’ve had a long day. I’m gonna-” She points over her shoulder with her thumb, but Alex interrupts her.

“What’s up with you?”

“What?” Supergirl looks at her innocently. “I’m fine.” Her phone buzzes again, and a smile tugs at her lips when she opens the message.

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** Well we can’t have that.

“I can see that.” Alex doesn’t miss the smile, but can’t see the screen.

“What?” Supergirl asks, her face snapping up to face her sister.

“You’re not telling me something.”

“It’s been a crazy day. A lot has happened.”

“Did that imp do something to you?”

“You mean other than having me fly all over National City today?”

Alex narrows her eyes when she sees that her sister is trying to hold back a smile. “Kara.”

“Alex.”

“Fine.” She throws up her hands, spinning around to leave. “Don’t tell me.” She begins walking away. “Tell Lena I said ‘hi.’” Alex waves a hand over her shoulder.

Supergirl sputters at Alex’s retreating back, clutching her superphone to her chest. “But…” Her eyes are wide, but the corners of her lips are upturned. “I…” She gets another text.

 **Lois Lane 2.0:** My balcony door is a much more efficient entrance than the lobby.

A giggle escaped the superhero, causing a nearby agent to glance at her with a startled expression. She decides to take Lena up on her offer, and end this odd day on a good note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another poll of sorts...
> 
> I need help with a SuperCorp kid name. I can't give any details on the kid, but I want a name that y'all will appreciate. Will the kid keep up the Luthor tradition of having an "L" name? Do they name her after a family member? Is she going to have some cute name with a meaning in another language?
> 
> If you have a name in mind, add it in the comments. Feel free to add the why or meaning behind the name. Later, I'll take the top names, and create a poll. Discussion are welcomed and encouraged!
> 
> The story line is at least two years away from a SuperCorp kid, but I'm working on that outline now. As always, thanks for you support, feedback, kudos, and interest!


	26. A Year in the Making

Supergirl flies high over National City to prevent any curious eyes from seeing the Girl of Steel flying toward a random multi-use building to land on one of the balconies on the top floor.  The smile that overcame her features at the sight of the building only grows when her boots touch down gently on the balcony. Overcome with a wave of giddiness, she immediately grabs the door handle and slides it open. 

Music reaches her ears, and she steps into Lena’s large living room. The television is open to Lena’s Spotify, but the woman is nowhere in sight. Closing the door behind herself, Supergirl ventures to the kitchen in search of Lena… of her girlfriend. She absolutely beams at the thought of Lena being her girlfriend.

“Oh,” Lena almost yelps when she turns a corner to almost collide into Supergirl. She has changed into pajamas, and her hair flows over her shoulders, “you’re here. I didn’t hear you come in.” A smile that fully displays her dimples brightens her features. 

“The door was open.” Suddenly, Supergirl’s smile turns shy now that she is faced with Lena.

Lena tilts her head with a smirk. “No it wasn’t.” Before Supergirl can say anything back, Lena closes the distance between them. Placing a hand on the House of El crest, she leans in to place a soft kiss on Supergirl’s cheek. “Hi,” she says with a shy smile as she steps back.

Supergirl blinks out of her dazed state, and smiles back. “Hi.” She clears her throat. “Um, what did you mean by-”

“The door not being open?” That smirk is back on Lena’s face.

“Yeah.” 

Without breaking eye contact with the hero, Lena reaches for her hand. Supergirl immediately begins playing with Lena’s fingers, which puts a dimpled smile on Lena’s face. “Do you remember when I first showed you how that door works? With the biometric scanner?”

Supergirl nods. “Did you turn that off?”

“No, I would never.” Lena glances down at their hands that are sharing soft touches. “When I had you grab it, the scanner record your biometric data.”

“So you-”

“Gave you full access to my penthouse… balcony or elevator.”

“Oh.” Supergirl’s voice is thoughtful and small. “Oh.” Her voice fills with understanding and wonder, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Lena chuckles with a shake of her head. “It was never the right time. Besides… while Supergirl and I were friends, we weren’t quite that close for that sort of permission to make sense. With Kara Danvers, I would have had no way of explaining how I acquired your biometrics.”

“That… makes sense.” Supergirl watches their fingers slide together, and smiles at the small shiver that runs through Lena when she slides her fingertips across the woman’s palm.

“I am very thorough.”

Supergirl lifts her eyes to find that Lena is intently watching her. “I’ve noticed.” Her voice is a touch breathless.

“Flatterer.” Lena teases. After a few moments of silence, she grips the hand in hers. “I believe I promised you dinner.” She tugs the hand in hers. “You go change into something less super and more snug, and I will meet you in the kitchen.”

Supergirl giggles, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her air. “You know, I can totally beat you there.” Her eyes hint at mischief. 

Lena releases her hand, her eyes rolling playfully. She steps past Supergirl, nudging her shoulder on the way. “A Luthor knows when not to accept a challenge.” For once, there is no shame when she says the name. She continues to walk to the kitchen.

“Aww,” Supergirl pouts, “but I thought Luthors love going up against Supers.”

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Lena looks over her shoulder with a smirk and raised eyebrow. “We do.” Her eyes make a slow path down to her feet and back up to her eyes. “When the time comes, I can assure you that you will enjoy going up against me just as much.” A ghost of a wink finishes her statement. When she turns back to begin walking again, her hair flips over her shoulder. Her smirk grows when she hears the shocked sound that escapes her girlfriend, being somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. She bites her lip when the sound of fumbling steps reaches her ears.

* * *

_ The August weather sent a light breeze through the eerily silent streets surrounding LuthorCorp. The company’s new CEO discreetly entered one of the almost hidden side doors. She locked the door behind herself, and walked through the deserted hallway. The doors were officially locked the previous week, and the CEO had seen that each employee was taken care of as needed. She stopped outside of a door, and placed her hand on the scanner. With a heavy click, the door unlocked. After propping it open with a chair, she entered her lab. She rolled open a large paper on one of the tables, and focused her attention to making notes.  _

_ “Miss Luthor?” A voice called from the doorway after several minutes. _

_ Lena looked up at the doorway, spotting the temporary assistant she hired upon her return to Metropolis. “Jess.” She set her pen down, and straightened. “Come in.” _

_ Jess tightened her grip on the bag over her shoulder, and joined Lena at the opposite side of the table. “I have the last of the paperwork for you to sign.” She pulled out a stack of papers, and slid them across the table. Lena immediately began going through them. “I also have pictures.” She shyly held up a USB drive. _

_ “Pictures?” Lena raised an eyebrow. _

_ Fidgeting with the USB drive, Jess nodded. “My brother… He lives in National City. Not too far from there. I asked him to get these.” Before she could lose her nerves, she thrusted the USB drive out toward her boss. _

_ Slowly, Lena stretched her hand across the table. Her fingers grasped the object, and Jess instantly released it and pulled her hand back. The CEO drew the item closer to her, turning it over in her fingers. “My building?” Her voice held no emotion, but a touch of surprise ran through her body. _

_ “Yes, ma’am.” Jess was timid. _

_ Lena stared at the object in her hands. The unasked for gesture of kindness was far past unexpected. After Lex’s arrest last month, being a Luthor started to become an ostracized way of life. It had taken weeks to find someone not only some semblance of trustworthy, but also willing to work for her. “Thank you, Jess.” She offered the woman a small, genuine smile. “I will take a look at these tonight.” She held up the USB drive before putting it in her pocket for safekeeping. _

_ “It’s no problem at all, Miss Luthor.” She smiled. “I was just as curious as you to see it.” _

_ The CEO chuckled. “Being a part of the creation process will do that to you.” Her focus turned back to the details of the building. “I have the final layouts for the penthouse.” She pushed the large paper closer to the middle of the table, permitting Jess to look as well. Pulling out a pen, she made some notes. “I was able to program the circuitry here. That allowed me to run the grid for the network here, and now the wall here is available for the lead plates to be installed.” Lena’s voice started to hold a hint of excitement. _

_ “Wow.” Jess leaned closer over the paper.  _

_ Lena straightened, and began rolling up the plans. “Did the architect sign the last contract?” _

_ “Yes, ma’am.” Jess pulled out a tablet from her bag, and began scrolling and tapping. “All of your messages were returned for the building, and I have the final list of all employee files. I composed a spreadsheet of those that you cleared.” _

_ “Excellent. I want to hold a meeting for those. Book a room suitable for the size of people on that list, and I will have an email for you by the end of the week. Find something for four weeks from now.” _

_ “What accommodations will you need?” _

_ “Tables for the employees in banquet style, a podium without a platform, and catering options.” _

_ Jess took notes. “Yes, Miss Luthor.” _

_ Lena flipped through the documents Jess brought. “Be sure to reserve it under the name I provided you with.” She paused on a particular contract. “I’ll need accommodations in National City for February. Begin looking for possibilities and contact my new pilot, and I will have further details by the end of the week.” _

_ “Yes, Miss Luthor.” _

_ Closing the last document, Lena walked around the table to a safe in the wall. Her palm unlocked the safe, and she pulled the door open to reveal a briefcase. She grabbed the handle and placed it on the table. It had a key code combination lock. The CEO reached under the table to bring up a cardboard box, and she carefully placed the briefcase inside of the box. She rested a hand on top of it.  _

_ “I’ll need you to stop by the post office.” Her free hand slipped into her pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper. She rubbed her fingers over the paper before setting it on top of the box. “Have this overnighted to that address.” She pushed the box across the table. “J. Sanchez.” _

_ Jess stepped closer to the table, placing a hand on the box. “Yes, Miss Luthor.” _

_ “Thank you, Jess.” Lena sat down on a stool. “That will be all for today. Send me the tracking number for the package.” _

_ The secretary put her tablet on the box before bringing it into her arms. “Of course, Miss Luthor.” She left with a polite smile. _

_ Lena relaxed into her seat when she could no longer hear Jess’ footsteps. While there was not an ounce of venom in Jess’ voice, she internally winced when she heard her last name. She made it her goal to not only rid herself of the subconscious urge to feel guilt at the name, but to also turn this company, her company, into a force for good. She believed the Luthor name would always be feared during her lifetime, but LuthorCorp could one day be seen as something good. She was fine with ending the Luthor line, as long as what she left behind would help as many people as possible. _

* * *

Flicking on the lights in the kitchen, Lena enters the room with a smile on her face. She opens a cabinet to grab glasses for Kara and herself. Just as her fingertips touched cool glass, a breeze fluttered Lena’s hair, and a hand suddenly rested on the cup she was reaching for.

“Let me,” Kara quietly says in her ear.

“Oh.” Lena jerks her hand away, her heart racing. 

Kara steps back away from Lena, allowing her a few feet of space. “Sorry.” She looks down at the cup in her hands. 

Lena clears her throat, settling her breath and heart. She takes a step toward Kara, so she can lay her hands on Kara’s fidgeting ones. “It’s okay. You just took me by surprise.” She tries to smile reassuringly at Kara, who is looking up at her through her lashes.

“I just… sorry.” She shrugs sheepishly. “I thought…”

Squeezing Kara’s hands, Lena takes another step closer. “You thought you could let go now that we’ve officially acknowledged that I know.” She doesn’t say it like a question.

“Um… yes?” Kara’s shoulders sag in defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk how many of y'all read about the crush incident I had a little while back, but I'm going to share here again. Not like any of y'all actually know me or her lol. It's safer this way.   
> Anyways, she came down to visit (she moved the week after I got all drunk) yesterday at kickboxing. I quickly turned to one of my friends, and said "hey, do you remember that question you asked me while you were drunk?" Her eyes went wide, and I had to react fast before she could say anything too loud. For her 31st birthday a couple weekends ago, we did a bar crawl. She got drunk, and kept loudly asking me who I had a crush on because she heard from someone else. It was a hot mess, and I told her I wouldn't tell her while she was drunk. Anyways... My crush gave me a hug when she saw me, and I died a little. I actually have no idea what she said... When I said "bye," I went for a high-five, and she hugged me again. Damn. I thought I was over that crush. FML. Okay, that's my sharing time.
> 
> My throat is fucking killing me, so I probably won't be working out today. That means more writing for y'all :) This story only has a few chapters left as I tighten some loose ends, and Kara has a Maggie confrontation.


	27. Honesty

“Kara,” Lena raises one hand to touch Kara’s chin, “look at me.” Hesitantly, Kara raises her head to make eye contact with Lena. “You can.”

“What?” Kara’s eyebrows scrunch together in slight confusion.

Lena cups Kara’s cheek. “You can just be yourself with me. I’m not… worried you will use your powers to hurt me. It will just take some getting used to seeing you use them out of the suit. I… Knowing and seeing are two different things.” She places a small kiss on Kara’s lips. “I…” Lena looks down with a self-deprecating chuckle before meeting Kara’s eyes again. “It’s funny. I had gotten so used to going along with the whole double life thing. I would spend… more nights than I’m willing to admit imagining what the reveal would be like… if it ever would-”

“I always wanted you to know. I trust you, and-”

“Kara.” Lena rubs her thumb along Kara’s cheek. “I’m not mad that you didn’t tell me.”

“Y-you’re not?”

“No.” Lena shakes her head. 

“How did you-”

“Know that’s what you were worried about?” Lena raises a knowing eyebrow.

“Yes.” Kara nods.

“Because I know you, Kara. Your heart is far too large to not worry about how I would feel about this.”

“How long?”

“Have I known?” Lena waits for Kara to nod. “When you walked into my office with Superman’s alter ego and started talking about Supergirl, I had my suspicions. Before you ask, my knowing that is a story for another time… After my first encounter with Supergirl, my suspicions were confirmed. I won’t say something cruel about the glasses not being the best disguise. It clearly works for the general population; however, I had the honor of spending time with both Supergirl and Kara Danvers.”

“That… makes sense.” Kara nods in thought.

“I… I won’t ask you when you would have told me. It’s your secret to share, and everyone has secrets. I meant it when we talked about us having time.”

“So did I.”

Lena nods, moving her hand from Kara’s cheek to rest on her chest where she can feel the Kryptonian’s heartbeat. “Trust has never been one of my stronger suits. I have never trusted anyone near as much as I trust you.” She looks down again, her fingers idly tapping on Kara’s chest.

“It wasn’t about trust.” Kara whispers. She takes her girlfriend not looking up as a sign to continue. “Having a secret identity… Rao, it’s… not something I can tell everyone I talk to. Not that I’m saying you’re just like anyone.” She rushes to reassure Lena. “But in the beginning, obviously, it was all professional. Well, mostly. I related to what you said about making a name for yourself outside of family. Then, for a while, the alien detection device made me nervous about how you would feel about being friends with an alien. By the time we started saving each other… almost regularly, it seems…” Kara furrows her eyebrows for a moment, and Lena quirks an eyebrow in acknowledgement. “We became closer as Kara and Lena, and I really saw you as a friend.”

“You being Supergirl had no influence on me wanting to be your friend.” Lena assured her.

Kara smiles shyly. “But then there seemed to always be something going on. I was so focused for a while on just trying to protect you, or defend you, or rescue you… I never even had time to think about the whole ‘I’m Supergirl’ thing. Before I even realized what was happening, we had become close, and I almost felt that I was in too deep. I worried about how you would feel about me keeping it from you for so long.”

Lena nods, knowing her worries were similar. “I couldn’t help but wonder when you would trust me enough… or feel comfortable enough.” 

“In full disclosure, I was so scared to lose that closeness we built. You cared about Kara Danvers. You looked at Kara Danvers like she was someone special. You didn’t expect me to be the strong hero at all times. You let me just be me.” Lena opens her mouth to begin speaking, but Kara shakes her head slightly.  “When I realized you knew, but didn’t seem mad, I didn’t know what to feel anymore. It was… different than any of the other people that know. I’ve only ever actually told one person, Winn. I’m sure they don’t realize it, but people treat me differently after they know.”

“Oh, Kara.” Lena squeezes Kara’s hand that is still in hers. 

Kara squeezes her hand back. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens her eyes, she finds Lena’s eyes intently watching her. “Lena… I’m Supergirl.”

Lena’s eyes soften, and she releases Kara’s hand to bring it up to Kara’s cheek. She brings the other hand off Kara’s chest, so she is cupping both cheeks. Kara swallows heavily, and Lena wipes away a single tear that escapes. “You’ll always be Kara to me.  I’m sorry not everyone can see past one part of who you are.”

A smile that Lena has never seen before comes across Kara’s face. “I wish everyone could see past your last name to the amazing woman that I have the honor of calling my girlfriend.”

A gasp escapes Lena’s lips, her jaw dropping as she searches Kara’s eyes. All of her thoughts halt, as her senses fill with the woman in front of her. In a burst of motion, she flings her arms around Kara’s neck to pull her into a kiss full of the emotions she feels for her. Kara wraps her arms around Lena’s waist, and kisses her back just as fiercely. Overcome with a wave of giddiness, Kara lifts Lena off her feet to swirl her around in a tight circle. When she feels Lena smiling against her lips, she sets her back on her feet gently. They pull back with smiles on their faces. Tears are threatening to fall from Lena’s eyes. 

Kara pulls Lena flush against her body for a hug. Lena buries her face in Kara’s neck, and feels Kara do the same. “I trust you, Lena.” Kara whispers inches from Lena’s ear. “So much.”

“I trust you too, Kara.” She pulls back, so they can look at each other. After a moment, they lean forward at the same time. When they pull back from the kiss, happy sighs leave both women’s lips. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.” 

Lena chuckles before placing another kiss on Kara’s lips. She hums in contentment. “I think we’ve had enough heavy stuff for one night.” She takes a step back to walk to the fridge. “How about we feed you before you get cranky?”

Kara raises a hand to her chest in mock offense. “I do not get cranky, Lena.”

From the open fridge, Lena looks over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Okay.” She goes back to looking for something to eat.

“No one understands how important food is. Gosh.” Kara mumbles as she shuffles her bare feet on the floor. She’s wearing borrowed pajamas from Lena. She left her hair down, but she is wearing her glasses.

“What was that?” Lena looks at her with a teasing smirk.

“Um…”

Lena laughs. “What do you feel like? I have that sauce you liked last time if you want pasta, or I still have a few frozen pizzas tucked away for emergencies.” 

Kara skips to Lena’s side with an excited squeal. “I love pizza emergencies! But that sauce was sooo good!” She angles herself behind Lena, and rests her chin on Lena’s shoulder. “What do you want?”

Ignoring her elevating heart rate, Lena decides against making a comment that would further increase it. “Pasta would be ready faster.”

“Okay!” Kara beams in excitement and places a quick kiss on Lena’s cheek. She’s rapidly becoming addicted to kissing Lena. She knows she will have to think further about that later, and she is due for a talk with Alex after some self analyzing. For now, she decides to go with what feels natural… as long as Lena doesn’t mind. 

Lena reaches for the sauce. “If you want to get st-” A slight breeze interrupts her. With the jar in her hand, she turns to see Kara already at the stove using the pot filler. The pasta is on the counter beside the stove, and Kara turns to her with a smile. “Well.” Lena shakes her head with a fond chuckle. “That’s one use for super speed.”

Kara’s nose crinkles as her smile grows. “You should see me cook with my heat vision.”

“Is that healthy?” Lena sets the jar on the counter, and leans her hip against it to face Kara. “I hardly use microwaves due to the radiation.” Lena’s tone holds no judgement, only intrigue. 

“Um.” Kara shuts the water off. “Alex has never really said anything otherwise, and she has no problem using me as her personal microwave.”

“So I take it Alex is more than just a normal agent?” Lena tilts her head in curiousity.

Kara fidgets with her glasses. “She’s kind of like my doctor in a way. She’s a bio-engineer. National City Med School.”

“Is that how she got into the DEO?”

“Uh…” Kara’s jaw falls open, and she stumbles a moment to find words. “You know what…” She rubs her forehead. “I really should not be surprised. You’re a genius, afterall.”

Smirking, Lena pats Kara’s arm. “If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t you that gave it away.”

“No?”

“I was hacked, and the path leading back to the DEO was really a disappointing challenge.”

A small growl rumbles in Kara’s chest. “So you knew about that?”

“I did.” Lena’s voice is quieter than it was before.

“I yelled at her.”

“What?”

“When I found out… I yelled at Alex about that. I was so… mad.” The water boiling provides a distraction, and Kara is quick to put the pasta inside of the pot. “I’m sorry about that by the way.”

Lena waves a hand. “Hey, if something goes wrong, people presume it’s the Luthor.”

Kara shakes her head, her face turning serious. “That’s not right, Lena. People will see how good you are. Your last name doesn’t define you. You taught me that more than anyone.”

“Do you practice your flattery, Miss Danvers?” Lena’s smirk turns flirty as she becomes determined to move to lighter topics.

“I don’t need to as long as I speak the truth.” Kara returns her smile.

They spend dinner holding lighter conversation. Kara tells Lena the details of Mr. Mxyzptlk’s various tricks. Lena explains how Batwoman told her that she was following a lead on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. After discussing it, Kara and Lena come to the conclusion that the imp had likely led that path to National City for her. Kara tells Lena that she noticed Kate Kane speaking with Mr. Mxyzptlk while they were dancing, and they assume she is somewhere safe. Kara talks about her powers, and has no problem answering Lena’s questions. Lena shares a few stories from her MIT days.

Their eyes are heavy by the time they finish eating. Cleaning up is interspersed with lingering touches and stolen glances. Kara puts away the last plate, and turns to find Lena watching her closely. She slides her hand along the top of the kitchen island as she walks closer to Lena. Stopping with a foot of space between them, Kara shyly smiles at Lena, who bites her lip. Kara’s eyes dip down to watch the movement. When she looks up, Lena’s eyes are on her lips. Kara takes another step closer, so they are separated by an inch of air. Lena catches her eyes. Together, they close the distance. Kara’s hands find Lena’s waist, and Lena slides her hands up Kara’s arms until they reach her neck. They kiss is slow, but deep. Much too soon for either of their liking, the exhaustion catches up to Lena, causing her to pull back a few inches. Lena watches Kara’s eyes flutter open.

“It’s late.” Kara whispers into the short distance between them. Lena nods. “I uh…” Kara scrunches up her forehead.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Lena whispers. “I’m not going to make you fly home after the day you had.”

Kara hums with a smile tugging at your lips. “Your bed is amazingly soft. Like… it’s as soft as you’d think a cloud would be by looking at it.”

A happy chuckle sounds deep in Lena’s throat. “If anyone would know what a cloud feels like, it would be you, Super Babe.”

Playfully groaning, Kara drops her forehead to Lena’s shoulder. “I forgot about that.”

“I didn’t.”

“Is that still the name for my superphone in your contacts?”

“Mmhmm.’ Lena nods. “Do you really call it your superphone?”

Kara turns her head to the side, so she can look up at Lena’s profile. “Of course. What about me makes that a surprise?” She teases.

“Very good point. It’s not a surprise.”

Picking up her head, Kara places a kiss on Lena’s lips. “At least you’re the only one that knows about that name.”

“Oh, I’m not the only one.” Lena smirks.

“Poison Ivy doesn’t count.”

“Hmm, I forgot about her.” The smirk on Lena’s face becomes absolutely mischievous. 

Kara’s eyes go wide, and she pulls back from Lena to get a better look at her face. “Who else knows?”

Smiling devilishly, Lena moves forward for a passionate kiss that leaves Kara a little dazed. “Come on.” She grabs hold of one of Kara’s hands. “It’s time for bed.”

A goofy smile stays on Kara’s face as she is pulled toward Lena’s bedroom. Lena stops at the foot of the bed and turns to face Kara. She squeezes Kara’s hand when she notices the dazed smile on Kara’s face. “I’m going to get ready for bed.” With a smirk, Lena lets their fingers slowly slip away as she walks to the bathroom. Before Kara came, she had already washed her face and changed into pajamas. She brushes her teeth, as she takes the time to steady her heartbeat.

After a final check in the mirror, she steps out of the bathroom to see Kara standing where she left her. “Kara?” Her voice is laced with concern. 

Slowly, Kara turns to her with her eyebrows raised. “Hmm?”

“Your toothbrush is where you left it.” She holds back the urge to melt at Kara’s flustered state. “Take your time.”

Kara absentmindedly nods, and her feet begin to take her to the bathroom. She closes the door behind her, leaving her hand on the door as she takes deep breaths. “We’ve slept together before.” She whispers to herself and pushes off of the door. Her eyes widen when she realizes what she said. She clears her throat before beginning to brush her teeth.  _ How is she so calm though?  _ Kara lets her mind wander. She tells herself it’s silly to be this nervous, but she can’t help but feel as though she has been vibrating with energy since she landed on Lena’s balcony.  _ Lena’s balcony… Lena gave me full access to her penthouse.  _ The toothbrush hangs limply from her hand as she lets that thought sink into her conscious. She shakes her head into focus, and sets about to quickly finish.

Slipping out of the bathroom, Kara finds Lena sitting on her side of the bed with her eyes glued to her phone. Lena looks up when she hears the bathroom door close. Kara stands in front of the closed door with a shy smile directed toward Lena. “Hi,” Kara says quietly.

“Hi yourself,” Lena says with a smile. With her right hand, she turns down the blankets on Kara’s side and pats the surface of the bed in invitation. “Bedtime for superheroes.”

Kara looks down, adjusting her glasses with a nervous chuckle. She walks around the bed and crawls under the covers. Laying on her side, she watches Lena plug her phone into the charger on her nightstand. Kara plugged in her phone when she changed into pajamas earlier. 

Lena takes a deep breath before rolling over onto her side to face Kara. Each of them has one hand under their pillow, while the other rests on the sheets between them. Lena marvels at how natural this feels, and tries not to question how quickly they have become comfortable in this new facet to their relationship. Craving the closeness, but seeing the nervousness in Kara, Lena reaches for Kara’s hand. Their fingers interlace, and Lena hears Kara let out the softest sigh. 

They both know there are many things yet to be said, but they are comfortable with where they are… with where they are going. 

Gently, Kara tugs Lena’s hand as she rolls onto her back. Lena snugs into her side, and they mold together perfectly. Kara’s left arm wraps around Lena’s shoulders to pull her closer. The fingers of Lena’s left hand tangle into the material covering Kara’s stomach. When Kara rests her free hand on top of Lena’s, their fingers entwine together. Lena’s head is resting on Kara’s shoulder.

Kara places a kiss on Lena’s forehead. “Goodnight, Lena.”

“Goodnight, Kara.”

Once Lena’s heart settles into a restful rhythm, Kara allows her own breathing to even out into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... I'm starting to get over this sinus infection, and am finally getting some writing done. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get back to the gym.
> 
> That episode had its pros and cons. I'm hoping with how much power was brought back to the women last night... well I'm not going to get my expectations up, but maybe it can be seen as a turn back to what the show used to be. Within 10 minutes, I was reminded why I began watching in the first place. I actually did not skip a single minute of the episode. Perhaps there is hope for next season. 
> 
> SBF is coming to an end, my friends. The next story will be short and fluffy. When I post that one, I'll add the poll for the SuperCorp baby name. So ideas can keep coming for another week or so. 
> 
> I'll also be accepting requests/ideas/prompts for what/who y'all would like to see happen in Supergirl's journey in this story. I have a timeline for the problems she'll face for the next few stories, but I'm open to more :)
> 
> I have a question for y'all. My plan has always been to line the storyline up with real time. Currently, the story is in Oct. 2017. Would y'all like me to keep to that plan, or would it be preferred if I strayed away?


	28. Let's Talk

An irritating sound nags at Kara’s senses. A warm feeling is covering half of her body, keeping her in a pleasant snooze. When the warm feeling tries to leave her, she refuses to remove her arm keeping it in place. A small, warm gust of air hits her neck, bringing a smile to her face. She hums when she hears a familiar, low sound right in her ear. Something pats her stomach, and she places her hand on top of the offending object. “Shh,” she mumbles. 

Lena chuckles at Kara’s overly sleepy state. “Kara,” she says inches from Kara’s ear. Her alarm is still ringing behind her, but there is no breaking Kara’s steel grasp. “At least let me turn the alarm off.” She can’t help but laugh when Kara whines. “Kara, it’s 7. I have to be at work at 9.”

“No,” Kara mumbles. 

“Kara,” she raises her voice a little, “please?”

“Shh, Lena’s sleeping.”

“No, Lena is awake.” Lena deadpans. 

“No.”

Sighing, Lena tries to go for a different tactic. “Kara.” She places a kiss on Kara’s neck. “If you let me up now, I will make you breakfast.”

“Hmm, br’fast?” Kara mumbles.

“I have bacon.” 

Kara’s eyes open wide. “Bacon?” Her eyebrows furrow in confusion for a moment, taking in where she is. In a second, the previous night comes back to her, and she turns to face Lena with a smile.

“Yes, bacon.” Lena laughs warmly. “But you’ll have to let me go.”

“Oh!” Kara blushes, and her hold on Lena loosens. “Sorry.”

Lena pats Kara’s stomach as she sits up in the bed to turn the alarm off. “It’s okay, Kara. You holding me hostage in bed was rather endearing.”

“I… oh, Rao. Was I holding you too tight?”

“No,” Lena shakes her head, “you weren’t. You did try to get me to be quiet because ‘Lena’s sleeping.’”

Kara groans in embarrassment. “Really?”

“Mmhmm.” Lena places a chaste kiss on Kara’s lips before getting out of the bed. “It was cute.”

“Why were you talking about bacon?” Kara suddenly remembers the word that woke her.

Lena stops at the bathroom door to smile over her shoulder at her girlfriend. “I had to find some way to get you to let me out of that bed.” She smirks. “Not that I would mind being a hostage to you in bed, but that’s for another day.” She winks before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Kara lets out a slow, long breath, not at all oblivious to the implications of what Lena said… or to the feelings that stirs in her. She lays in bed smiling for a few minutes before checking her phone.

* * *

Both women work together to make breakfast. Kara is humming along to the music she chose on Pandora, while Lena listens to and watches her with a small smile full of adoration. They sit catty-corner from each other at the kitchen island. Lena nearly chokes on her coffee when Kara lets out an appreciative moan at the taste of the bacon, and she misses the satisfied smirk on Kara’s face. 

“So,” Kara says after swallowing her mouthful of bacon. She doesn’t look up from her plate.

Lena quirks an eyebrow, and takes a bite of her eggs. “Hmm?”

“Can I tell my sister?” She whispers. Lena furrows her eyebrows in confusion, and Kara begins rambling. “I, um, think she already knows or thinks something. I don’t know, but when we talked yesterday, she, uh… she did the thing she does when she knows something, but won’t pressure me. I know we have only been technically together for like 8 hours, but, I don’t know, after everything we’ve been through, and I -”

“Kara.” Lena takes pity on her girlfriend, who lets out a relieved sigh at having her rambling stop. She places her hand on top of Kara’s on the counter. “Of course, you can tell your sister. Your relationship with your sister is important, and it’s your choice what you choose to tell her.” She squeezes Kara’s hand.

Letting out the breath she wasn’t aware she was holding, Kara flips her hand over to entwine her fingers with Lena’s. “I feel like we haven’t had a real talk in so long, but I want to tell her soon… today.”

Lena smiles at the knowledge of Kara not wanting to keep a relationship with her a secret. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

Kara takes her time chewing the mouthful of food to think. Her free hand stabs the fork at the remaining eggs on her plate. “Everything.” Kara shrugs. “The truth. It took Mxy whisking us away for me to stop being afraid of… everything.”

“You were afraid?” Lena pushes her empty plate out of the way, so she can rest her free arm on the countertop. 

Nodding her head, Kara pushes her now empty plate forward. “Not… not of you. I-I spent the first 11 years on this planet just trying to blend in as a human. To not be different. The Danvers helped me conceal who I was for the first 13 years of my life. Yes, I came out as a Kryptonian, but that was only when I was Supergirl. Kara Danvers still was a human. Everything I had learned about hiding kept me from being in touch with some of my emotions, I guess.” She shakes her head with a self-deprecating laugh. “I know everyone thinks I’m oblivious, but I don’t think that’s it. Rao,” She sighs and rubs her forehead, “I am not explaining myself well.”

“You’re doing just fine, Kara.” Lena moves closer. “I understand.”

“I like you, Lena. I have had feelings for you for a while now.” She smiles shyly. “I’m really happy that we’re…” She waves her free hand in the air to try to find the right word. “Us? Doing this. Together. Yes.”

Chuckling, Lena lifts Kara’s hand to place a kiss on her knuckles. “I’m happy too, Kara.”

Kara laughs, looking down with a slight shake of her head. “How is this all so… easy?” She looks back up at Lena. “It just feels…”

“Natural?” Lena raises an amused eyebrow. Kara nods. “I don’t know.” Lena shakes her head with a fond smile. “I was kind of wondering about that too.”

Smiling, Kara leans forward for a small kiss. When she starts to move back, Lena, in an impressive burst of speed and agility, pulls Kara closer to deepen the kiss for a few breathless moments. Smiles light up both of their faces when they separate. “So we’re doing this?” Kara whispers a few inches from Lena’s lips.

Lena nods. “We’re doing this.” She kisses Kara briefly again. “Can… c-can I be the one to tell Lois and Maggie?”

Kara sits back fully on her stool with wide eyes. Her mouth opens and closes a few times with incoherent sounds breaking the silence. “Um…” She scratches her head with her free hand. “Did I miss something?”

“Oh,” Lena laughs, “Yes, well…” She clears her throat. “Lois and I spent some time together while she was visiting. She told me some fun stories.” She winks at Kara.

“Uh oh.” Kara’s eyebrows raise. 

“She’s quite fun when she drinks.”

“Oh no.” Kara shakes her head as she whines.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“No!” Kara squeezes Lena’s hand. “Of course not, Lena! It’s great that you two got along! Lois is a pretty fierce friend. To be honest, I was worried she would go all hard-hitting reporter on you.”

Lena puts her free hand on top of their joined hands. “Lois has been lovely to me, Kara. I assure you. So has Maggie, which was even more surprising.” Kara tenses and narrows her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Um.” Kara blinks her vision into focus. “Yes. Sorry. Um, when did you… how do you know Maggie?” She keeps her voice measured, and fights to control her negative thoughts.

“We shared a bottle of wine while you were in Metropolis.” She leaves out the pictures Maggie showed her for now. “I think we’re friends now.”

“Oh.” The crinkle appears on Kara’s forehead.

Lena tilts her head, looking closely at Kara. “Do… Kara, do you not like Maggie?”

“What?” Kara’s crinkle becomes more prominent. “No. I mean… Yes, Maggie is fine. I like her. I like that she makes my sister happy.”

“Okay,” Lena drags out the word. “Then what is going on between you two?”

A heavy sigh escapes Kara. “She arrested you for no reason,” She mumbles.

Lena blinks in surprise, wondering, again, what she did to deserve Kara, her fierce loyalty and unwavering support. “You’re mad at her for that? It was her job, Kara.” She squeezes Kara’s hand with a smile. “I wasn’t crazy about it either, but she did apologize.” 

“She what?”

“She cleared the air between us, and she took the time to let me know there was nothing personal behind the arrest.” Lena still finds her to be a touch annoying at times, but they found some common ground. 

“So… you and Maggie are friends?” Lena nods. “Okay.” Kara smiles and places a quick kiss on Lena’s lips. She stays a few inches from her lips. “But if she tries to arrest you again, I’m going to throw her into the ocean.” She kisses Lena again. After a moment, she pulls back. “Wh-what’s so funny?”

Biting her lip to keep the chuckles under control, Lena shakes her head. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” She kisses Kara before she can say anything else. “Darias will be here in 30 minutes.” Another kiss is planted on Kara’s lips. “I’m going to finish getting ready.” She stands up and releases Kara’s hand. “Would you like a ride home, or are you going to take off from my balcony?” 

“As much as I’d love to spend the extra time with you, I’ll have to pass on the ride. I kind of missed out on work yesterday, so I’ll have to get in early.” Kara says as she stands.

“I’m sure Snapper can be appeased with a quote from Supergirl about the dinosaur she fought yesterday.” She winks before sauntering off to her bedroom. 

“Yeah,” Kara says quietly as she watches Lena disappear around the corner.

* * *

Once in the back seat of the car, Lena pulls out her phone to check through emails. The lock screen image of her and Kara steals her attention. A fond smile overtakes her lips as she recalls the rooftop dinner for Kara’s birthday.

* * *

 

_ Kara begged for so many pictures, Lena felt as if the waiter was now giving them a mini photo shoot. When she later went through the pictures by herself, this one immediately became her favorite. If she knew about it before leaving the venue, she likely would have tripled the waiter’s tip. _

* * *

 

It’s a candid shot beautifully lit by a nearby lamppost. Lena is on the right side of the picture. She’s biting her lip with her head angled down, but she’s looking up at Kara through her eyelashes. Kara is taking up the left side of the picture.

* * *

 

_ After a round of posed shots, Kara had excitedly rushed to a bush. By the time Lena had caught up to her, Kara was spinning back to face her with one hand hidden behind her back. The other hand was gesturing to the bush behind her.  _

_ “Lena, I had no idea this color even existed! It’s funny. You’d think that green wouldn’t really be a good color for a flower because there’s so much green in plant life already, and the point of flowers is for them to be all pretty and stand out, but look at this!” Kara pulled the hand from behind her back to reveal an arguably perfect rose the color of… “Lena, it’s the same shade as your eyes!” Kara’s excitement didn’t allow her to hear the increase in Lena’s heart rate. _

_ “Is that so?” Lena’s voice sounded amused. She just barely hid a tremor. _

_ “Yes!” Kara stepped closer to Lena. Both women missed the chuckle from the waiter. “Look.” She held the rose in the small amount of air between them. “It’s beautiful.” Kara’s voice had dropped to a whisper. _

_ When Lena looked up from the petals, her eyes met Kara’s. She swallowed heavily. “I’m glad you like them.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now. She looked back down, unable to hold Kara’s gaze for fear of acting on the emotions threatening to bubble over all day. _

_ Kara’s smiled shyly. “The color, somehow, makes your eyes shine even more.” She brought her right hand up painfully slow to tuck Lena’s hair behind her ear. Biting her lip, Lena chanced to only move her eyes up to look at Kara. She didn’t trust her voice at the moment. With a touch more confidence, Kara brought the rose up to Lena’s ear with her shy smile still firmly in place. Neither of them noticed the waiter bringing up the phone for another picture. _

* * *

An actual giggle flutters out of Lena’s throat. If Darias hears, he’s professional enough now to react. That rose is now pressed in Lena's well-worn edition of _Canterbury Tales_ on her nightstand. With one last look, Lena opens up her messaging application.  _ Emails can wait a few minutes, _ she tells herself.

**Lena Luthor:** Hey Lois, do you have any free time today. I have something to share with you. Before you can even ask… it’s very much off the record. And personal. And has to do with Kara.

She bites her lip as she hits send, wondering if that last sentence alone was a giveaway. While waiting for a response from a woman two hours ahead of her, she opens another message thread.

* * *

**Lena Luthor:** Hello, Maggie. Kara is going to steal Alex for a Danvers Sister Night.

**Maggie Sawyer:** Yeah?

**Lena Luthor:** She wants to talk to her about something.

**Maggie Sawyer:** About something? Or someone?

**Maggie Sawyer:** Don’t answer that. Here’s the plan. I bring Alex lunch to make sure she’s in a good mood. Then you and I meet up while they do their thing.

**Lena Luthor:** You assume I have free time on a Tuesday night.

**Maggie Sawyer:** I can come hang at L-Corp.

**Maggie Sawyer:** I’ll text you with more details later.

**Lena Luthor:** Very well, Detective Sawyer.

Maggie sets down her phone on Alex’s kitchen counter. She picks up her coffee, turning to see Alex coming out of her bedroom. 

“Morning, Danvers.” Maggie smirks behind her coffee cup at the unpleasant grumble Alex releases. Alex is exhausted from going into the DEO to talk to Kara. “Coffee?”

“Is that a real question?” Alex leans on the opposite side of the kitchen island from Maggie.

Maggie chuckles as she makes a cup of coffee for her girlfriend. “How’d it go last night?”

Alex takes a sip. “She got rid of the guy, but didn’t go into too many details.”

“Wasn’t worth going in, was it?” Maggie teases.

Rolling her eyes, Alex turns to take her coffee to the couch. “She text me about having a sister night tonight, so I’ll probably hear all about what happened yesterday.”

Maggie walks over to the back of the couch just behind Alex. “Sounds like fun.” She places a kiss on the top of Alex’s head. “I gotta get ready for work.”

“Okay.” Alex turns her head to kiss Maggie on the lips. 

Maggie walks back out of the bedroom several minutes later to see Alex eating a bagel and texting in the kitchen. She joins Alex, placing a kiss on her cheek. 

“Time to go?” Alex asks.

“Yup, but I’ll stop by for lunch.” They share a quick kiss. “Text me what time works.”

“Of course.” Alex steals another kiss.

* * *

“Hey, Danvers!” Alex turns at the sound of the familiar voice to see her girlfriend walking up to her. “I got your favorite.” She holds up the bag of food.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” She kisses Maggie when she reaches her.

“Long morning?”

Alex groans as she motions for Maggie to follow her down the hallway. “Mostly paperwork and damage control with everything that happened yesterday. When something that resembles a dinosaur is seen flying over an elementary school, people take notice.”

They walk into an empty meeting room, and Maggie sets the bag of food down on the table. “Any leads on the refugee attacks?”

“Unfortunately, no. We haven’t been able to find any witnesses or suspects.”

“Suspects apart from the obvious one?” Maggie sends Alex a knowing glance.

Alex shakes her head. “We’re trying not to jump to jump to that conclusion, but…”

“But they’re the most likely cause.”

“Exactly.” 

Maggie unpacks their food as they sit down. “So,” she decides to change the subject, “what are you and Kara doing tonight?”

Swallowing her food, Alex shrugs. “Probably the usual. Unhealthy food and Netflix until she is ready to talk.”

“Hmm,” Maggie hums in acknowledgement. “Sounds like we should get some sparring in then.” She winks.

“Is that a challenge, Sawyer?”

“Scared, Danvers?”

“You wish.” Alex throws a balled up napkin at Maggie’s head, but the detective swats it away.

“That’s foul play,” Maggie teases. 

“All’s fair.”

“I’ll show you fair.” The detective leans in conspiratorially. “Two out of three pins wins.”

Alex hums in thought. “If I win, date night next week will be at the new gun range.”

“And if I win, we go to that juice bar uptown.” Maggie’s smile is devilish.

“Bring it, Sawyer.”

* * *

“Last round, Danvers.” Maggie smirks at Alex standing on the opposite side of the sparring ring. “Ready for me to break the-”

Maggie’s jaw drops when Alex pulls her shirt off over her head, leaving her in a sports bra and pants. Alex’s expression turns smug. “What were you saying, Sawyer?”

Instead of responding with words, Maggie pulls her own shirt off and tosses it Alex, who instinctively catches it with wide eyes. “You alright?” Maggie smirks.

“Yup!” Alex tosses Maggie’s shirt on top of her own. “Just ready to check out that new range.”

“Someone’s confident.”

“I have a reason to be.”

“Ooo,” Maggie coos as she starts walking closer. 

“We’ve got ten minutes. Let’s do this, detective.”

“As you wish, agent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SBF is coming to an end, my friends. The next story will be short and fluffy. When I post that one, I'll add the poll for the SuperCorp baby name. So ideas can keep coming for another week or so.
> 
> I'll also be accepting requests/ideas/prompts for what/who y'all would like to see happen in Supergirl's journey in this story. I have a timeline for the problems she'll face for the next few stories, but I'm open to more :) If you have anything you would like to see here, put it in the comments! 
> 
> I have a question for y'all. My plan has always been to line the storyline up with real time. Currently, the story is in Oct. 2017. Would y'all like me to keep to that plan, or would it be preferred if I strayed away?


	29. The Danvers' Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I have a lot of fun being clever with the chapter titles.

Lena sits at her desk with her attention on the laptop in front of her. The setting sun casts an orange glow over the office. 

Her intercom buzzes to life. “Miss Luthor.”

“Jess, it’s 6:30. You were supposed to go home 30 minutes ago.”

“There’s… Detective Sawyer is here to see you.”

Lena closes her eyes with a small sigh. “Send her in, and then you can go home.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.”

The door glides open within a few seconds. Maggie strolls past Jess holding the door open for her. “Thank you, Jess.” With a professional nod, Jess closes the door. Turning her attention back to her laptop, Lena accepts that she is likely not to get an abundance of work done. “Hello, Maggie.”

Maggie crosses the office with a grin to sink into one of the chairs in front of Lena’s desk. “So.” 

When Maggie remains silent, Lena risks darting her eyes up to look at the woman across from her. She regrets it immediately. Maggie, completely relaxed in the chair, is directing a knowing smirk and raised eyebrow at Lena. In turn, Lena raises one of her own eyebrows. Maggie’s smirk turns into a smile as they continue their silent battle. 

“I’m glad everything turned out alright yesterday.” Maggie is the one to break the silence.

The corner of Lena’s lip quirks ever so slightly. “Yes, it was quite the eventful day.”

“Eventful, huh?”

Placing her forearms on her desk, the CEO leans closer as she fights back a giddy smile. “Something happened.”

* * *

_ Lena led Maggie out of the elevator leading into her apartment. Her purse was slung over one shoulder, and her coat was tucked over her arm. Maggie followed her with a paper bag in her hands. She had insisted on carrying their alcohol.  _

_ “Damn, Luthor.” Maggie took in everything around her as Lena led them to the kitchen. “An entire floor to yourself, huh?” _

_ “Mmhmm.” Turning on the light, Lena gestured for Maggie to set the bag down on the kitchen island. She placed her purse and coat on the counter and kicked off her heels. She grabbed glasses from her cabinet before turning toward Maggie. “We can take these to the living room or out on my patio.” _

_ “A patio on the roof?” Maggie sounded impressed. “I wanna check this out.” _

_ “This way.” Lena waved a hand for Maggie to follow her. She picked up a tablet from her living room as they passed it. Maggie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when they she saw they walked past a large balcony on the opposite side of the living room, but continued to follow Lena down a hallway. They stopped at another sliding door, and Lena opened it and stepped aside for Maggie to precede her. She nearly collided with Maggie before she realized the older woman had stopped. Lena raised her eyebrow and cleared her throat.  _

_ Maggie half turned to face her. “There are backyards smaller than this patio, Luthor!” _

_ Lena shrugged as she walked past Maggie. With a few taps on her tablet, a lamppost near the door illuminated them. “Where would you like to sit?” Lena didn’t look up from her tablet as she found a suitable playlist to play over the outdoor speakers. _

_ Tapping her fingers against the bag in her arms, Maggie looked around at her options in thought. The fire pit looked inviting, and she imagined the warmth it would give them as the October night turned colder. She could see comfortable loungers near the inground pool, but her eyes kept going back to the fire pit. “Have you ever lit that pit?” _

_ Turning to look at Maggie, Lena shook her head. “I haven’t spent much time out here at all.”  _

_ “Time to change that then.” Maggie walked over to the fire pit. She pulled the bottles out of the bag to place them on the table nearby.  _

_ Lena set the glasses and corkscrew down on the table before sitting on one of the chairs. “Do you have any particular requests for dinner?” _

_ Maggie sat on a chair opposite Lena as she inspected the label of one of the bottles Lena purchased for them. “Considering I know how Kara eats, I’m sure you’re wanting a break from the junk food as much as I am.”  _

_ “I know a place.” Lena smiled down at her tablet. They discussed what they wanted to order, and Lena waved off all attempts from Maggie to pay for the food.  _

_ “Hey.” Maggie set her glass down on the table. “How does this pit work? I’m guessing it’s a gas one.” _

_ “The cleanest natural gas fire pit there is,” Lena says with obvious pride, “and this is how it works.” She turned the screen of her tablet back on, and a fire ignited after a few taps. _

_ “That’s efficient.” Maggie’s eyebrows raised as she leaned closer to inspect the pit. “What kind of rocks are those?” _

_ “Lava rocks with post-industrial glass from old L-Corp buildings along the outside.” _

_ “What other eco-friendly features do you have hiding in this place?” Maggie picked up her glass again. _

_ With a smirk, Lena took a sip of her wine. “Did I forget to mention that I designed the building?” _

_ Maggie nearly choked on her drink. “No shit!” Her eyebrows shot up. “But this building started going up over two years ago.” _

_ Humming, Lena nodded as her finger played with the stem of her glass. “That’s right.” _

_ While they waited for the food, Lena proudly detailed her favorite features of her apartment and the building. Maggie attempted to get her to install a few in her own apartment. Lena received a call about the food going up the elevator.  They both went back inside, deciding to enjoy their food in the kitchen. Maggie insisted on grabbing the food. Lena turned off everything outside from a stool at the kitchen island, and she quickly adjusted her playlist to play through the kitchen speakers.  _

_ “Now I understand why you have furniture in your elevator.” Maggie joined her with their food. “I didn’t wanna be rude and question if that was a rich person thing, but I get it now. You never let anyone up here, huh?”  _

_ They began going through their food. “That elevator and my entire floor all run on a network I created that’s completely independent. Without approved biometrics, that elevator does not move without my permission.” She waved her phone. “I get a notification with a live camera feed on an app that is accessed with my thumbprint.” _

_ “You know,” Maggie said after swallowing her first bite, “I would make a comment about that being overkill, but… and please don’t take this the wrong way or be offended, but knowing the shit you’ve been through, it does seem a bit, um…” _

_ “Like a necessary evil?” Lena quirked her eyebrow. _

_ “Eh, I guess precaution would be a better word.” Maggie got Lena to share a little more about her security measures, and made a mental note to suggest some of the ideas at work or to Alex. After eating, Maggie was even given a brief tour of some of Lena’s favorite part of the penthouse. Maggie was especially impressed with Lena’s contingencies for electrical problems and the well-hidden emergency staircases. When Maggie used the guest bathroom, she couldn’t help but snoop around out of pure curiosity stemmed from the unique features. At the top of the sleek closet, a small box amongst the matching linens and toiletries caught her eye. It was red and well-worn. Unable to resist her detective tendencies, she swiftly brought the box down. Something about it was familiar. Cautiously, she opened it facing away from her. “Huh,” she said in amusement, “wonder if Lena knows about this.” Quickly putting the box back, she left the room with the intention of keeping the secret for the time being. _

_ Maggie found Lena refilling their glasses in the kitchen. Relocating to the armchairs in the living room, Lena realized she felt not entirely guarded with the woman. She had managed to laugh more than she thought that night, and Lena believed she had found a new friend. “So Maggie,” she placed her glass on the coffee table, “about those pictures…” _

* * *

Maggie’s smile overtook her features, showing her dimples to their extent. “I know that face.” She leans forward as well. “That’s your ‘talking about Kara’ face.”

“My what?”

The detective waves off the question. “Later. Tell me what happened.”

Lena lets out a small, self-deprecating chuckle, asking herself, not for the first time, how a friendship this comfortable developed with the detective. “Okay, but we  **will** go back to that.” She looks down a moment before meeting her friend’s eyes again with a teasing smirk. “Do you want the quick version, or do you want to hear it from the beginning?”

Pursing her lips, Maggie takes a moment to seriously contemplate the question. She can tell Lena wants to talk about this by the smile she is holding back and the almost imperceptible movement of Lena’s fingers against each other with her hands clasped. The biggest tell is simply the fact that Lena initiated the conversation at all. Maggie won’t claim that she knows Lena well, but spending a night drinking with someone gives you a special insight into conversational cues and mannerisms. Making a decision, Maggie reclines back in her chair while gesturing both hands in a ‘lay it on me’ gesture. “Start from the beginning. Don’t leave anything good out.”

Finally, a genuine smile eases onto Lena’s face. “Is it safe to assume you know about the fifth dimensional visitor yesterday?” Lena unclasps her hands to bring one up to bite at her thumb.

The gears turn in Maggie’s head as she slowly nods, wondering where this could possibly be going. “Uh-huh,” she murmurs an affirmative answer.

Lena gathers her thoughts before removing her thumb from her mouth. “From what I understand, he comes from the fifth dimension and can only be sent back by a predetermined action of some sort.” A smile plays at the corners of her lips. 

Maggie tilts her head. “What was the action?” Biting her lip to fight the goofy smile she can feel threatening to break out on her face, the CEO closes the laptop still open on her desk and kicks off her heels. Maggie’s eyebrows raise as she lets out a bark of laughter. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re kind of extra?”

“Pardon?” Lena asks from her comfortable position in her chair.

“Damn, Luthor. How busy does this place keep you from the youth speech of today?”

“Do you want to hear this story or not?” Lena smiles to remove any sting from the words, but there is a firmness to her smirk.

Maggie lifts her hands palms facing Lena in a gesture of peace. “Carry on.”

Lena details the events of the previous day. She begins with the last minute meeting with Kara that Mr. Mxyzptlk orchestrated. Maggie is easily able to picture the exasperated face Lena likely made. They both laugh when Lena recounts the conversation on the CatCo roof. The discussion shifts from the imp’s pranks as Lena gives the details of the thugs that couldn’t make it past the lobby of L-Corp. 

“I walked out into the lobby,” Lena says, “and before I could begin to react to the intruders, there was a black blur swinging from somewhere that I haven’t even bothered to figure out where. They clearly were no match for this woman in a cape that wasn’t Supergirl, and she had it handled in short order. Next thing I know, she’s sauntering over to me like she owns the place. I hadn’t decided what to make of her before K-Supergirl showed up. So  **that’s** how I met Batwoman and saw a sassy Supergirl within the encounter.”

“Batwoman?” Maggie’s smile slips into a confused expression. “Red hair? From Gotham?”

“That’s the one.”

“Interesting.” Maggie rubs her chin in thought. “She say what brought her here?”

“Something about a lead on some anti-heroes. Given what I now know, I have no doubt that Mxy played a role in her appearance.”

“I see. So what did sassy Supergirl do?”

Lena recounts the interaction with clear amusement. Her side of the story leaves out most of Mr. Mxyzptlk’s pranks, since she was not directly involved in those. When she begins describing Supergirl following her out to the beach, Lena’s voice softens into an almost wistful tone. Her descriptions become more vibrant, and she moves her hands as she speaks. 

“So,” Maggie’s voice turns thoughtful, “you do know. Well… did know… before the imp revealed her.” It isn’t a question.

“I did.”

Maggie shakes her head fondly. “And she knew?” She laughs. “She would still try to freak out though.”

“That’s it?”

“What do you mean?” Maggie asks.

“No comment on me knowing the identity of your girlfriend’s superhero sister?”

Shrugging, Maggie waves off the concern. “I figured it out too. Alex and I have talked about it. Sure, the glasses are okay from a distance, but they don’t work with people that interact with Kara and Supergirl.”

“That’s what I said last night.”

“Last night?” Maggie’s eyebrows disappear in her hairline.

Lena clears her throat and adjusts her position in her chair. “We’re getting there.” She continues with her story, picking up with being whisked off to a still unknown location.

“Wait.” Maggie holds up a hand. “Are we talking  _ Cinderella  _ style ballroom dance or high school prom?”

“Definitely  _ Cinderella.  _ Actually,” she pauses, “it was more like that movie very loosely based on the Romanov family.” She looks off in thought. “ _ Anastasia, _ I believe. I only saw it the one time, and it was outstandingly far from the true story, but that’s not the point here.” Lena catches her own tangent with a sweeping motion of her hands. “The people around us weren’t really people. They were just creations of that Mxy.”

“Okay, I know what you’re talking about. Sorry. Go on.” She smirks at Lena.

She tells Maggie about Kara’s attempts at trying to talk to the people around them, but leaves out how endearing she found the endeavor to be. She is biased, after all. Maggie chuckles until Lena gets to the obvious flirting of Batwoman, who whisked Lena off to the dance floor. Lena is careful to not use Batwoman’s real name.

“Kara and I haven’t talked about… that yet, but I’m certain she was watching us. As soon as Batwoman stopped dancing and seemed to be attempting to kiss me, Kara was standing right next to us. I hadn’t even hd time to truly think about what was happening, and Kara was there…” she giggles, “asking to cut in.” Lena sighs as she relives that moment. 

Maggie points a finger at Lena. “I knew you were the sappy type.” Her tone and smile are teasing.

Rolling her eyes, Lena tosses a nearby paperclip at the older woman. “Pointing is considered rude in some cultures.”

“Not in mine!” Maggie smiles brightly. Her fingers play with the paper clip she easily caught. “But I will say this this,” she holds up the paper clip, “playful side is unexpected.” 

Lena’s scoff is slightly ruined by the blush coloring her cheeks. Maggie bites her tongue on any further teasing… for now. “As I was saying…” The smile is evident in Lena’s voice as she wistfully describes their dance to Maggie. 

“Woah! So you’re basically saying is she’s the one that… well obviously you both initiated it with all the soft talk and the getting closer… but she’s the one that like…” Maggie waves a hand in the air as if she can catch the words she’s seeking.

“Closed the distance?” Lena offers.

“You make it sound so literary.” Maggie playfully huffs.

Lena laughs with a fond shake of her head. “It works though.”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“How was it? What happened?”

A breathy sigh trickles from Lena’s lips, ending with a dazzling smile.  _ Is there even a powerful enough word? _ She searches her rather extensive, internal, multi-lingual dictionary.

“Wow. That answers the first question. So where were the imp and Batwoman when all of this rom-com stuff was going on?”

“Oh.” Lena shakes her head into focus on the present time. “When we opened our eyes-”

“Finally,” Maggie mumbles.

“We were back in my office in our own clothes.” Lena chooses to flow past Maggie’s comment. “Everything he had created was gone, and we haven’t heard from Batwoman since. Although, Kara said she saw them-”

“Hold on!” Maggie sits up straighter. “Are you telling me that you two had to kiss to get him to go home?” 

Lena blinks several times at Maggie. “Um.”

“An elementary school was attacked by a dinosaur because you two being a true team meant making out while dancing in midair like some fairy tale couple?”

“I-well-”

“Perry the freaking Platypus was loose on the streets of National City just to get you and Kara to admit those damn obvious feelings you two have for each other? Seriously?” Maggie’s eyes are wide in an incredulous expression. She slumps back into her seat and rubs her forehead. 

“When you put it that way-”

Maggie starts laughing suddenly, taking Lena by surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just realizing how lucky we all got.”

“Um, what?” Lena’s eyes go wide in confusion and slight concern for Maggie’s mental state.

“It’s just that…” Maggie wipes a tear from under her eye. “With how stubborn you two are… not to mention how oblivious Kara can be at times, shit, Lena… we could have had that guy here for way more than a day. Hell, he could have turned L-Corp into a tower with a dragon flying around, while you were laid out in a pink dress, and Kara still would have tried waking you up by throwing water on you.” With that image firmly in mind, Maggie doubles over in laughter.

“I…” Lena stares at the laughing woman, her face growing hotter each second. “I assure you, Kara is  **not** as oblivious as everyone believes her to be.”

Maggie perks up, gaining control of her chuckles. “Oh, really?” She raises an eyebrow, her tone full of innuendo. 

“Yes. Now, would you like to hear the end of the story, or not?” 

Obediently, Maggie sits back quietly. “Don’t cheat me now, Luthor.”

“We’re together.” Lena says straightforwardly. 

“What!” Maggie bolts upright again. “No! Wait. What? No! No, you can’t just go through all of that build up and the details and descriptions and emotion to just end with… with… that!” Her hands grip the armrests of the chair.

Lena’s responding chuckle is full of mischief. “Yes, well, Luthors are excellent at playing the long game.”

Maggie groans dramatically and slumps back into her chair. “All that build up…” She bemoans. “I’m still waiting for Xena and Gabrielle to get married.”

The CEO hums in thought. “Xena, huh? How old are you, Detective Sawyer?” Lena teases.

“You’re forgetting that I handled your warrant and intake paperwork, Miss Luthor. I’m sure a mutual friend of ours would do just about anything to acquire that date of your birth.” Maggie meets Lena’s eyes directly.

Instantly, Lena sobers into her CEO mask. “Is that a threat, Detective?”

“That depends.” 

The two women hold eye contact without a single twitch of their lips. For an endless moment, the air tenses as two strong-minded individuals silently communicate. 

“Fine,” Lena huffs out, “I’ll tell you the rest of the story.”

The smirk that takes over Maggie’s face is positively smug. She wordlessly sits back to hear the rest of the story. Soon, both women are wearing soft smiles as Lena recounts the previous night. Lena leaves out the fact that they know the true identity of Batwoman, who now knows that Kara is Supergirl. She summarizes their discussion at home into a few, light sentences that leave out the more personal and heavy bits. Maggie finds Kara’s responses to Lena’s more flirtatious remarks to be amusing. 

“I gotta ask this.” Maggie’s voice turns serious. “Am I the first to know?”

Lena picks up her phone from its face down position, and Maggie assumes she’s checking the time. “Y-yes. Technically.” She puts the phone back down on the desk with the screen showing. “I was texting Lois during lunch, but she didn’t have much time. She said she would text me when she was free in the evening.” A smile plays at the corner of her lips. “Kara will be telling Alex tonight.” The phone buzzes. Her smile becomes almost blinding when her eyes find the screen.

Maggie manages to hold back a teasing remark, deciding to inspect this new facial expression on the CEO. After a moment, she breaks the silence. “Is that Lois?”

“Oh.” Lena finishes her reply before setting the phone down. “No, it’s Kara. Alex just got to her place. She was held up with something. So wh-” She’s interrupted by her phone. Her smile changes when she sees the screen. It’s still a smile, but it’s not the same one from before. “ **That** would be Lois.” She picks up her phone, and speaks without looking up from it. “She wants to call me now.” She turns her attention to Maggie. “Would you-”

“Put her on speakerphone!” Maggie perks up in her seat.

“Do you know Lois?” Lena asks tentatively. 

“Remember that night Kara drunk-texted you until Lois took her phone?” The detectives eyebrows raise in question.

“Yes,” Lena says slowly. “I wasn’t aware that they told anyone about that.”

Maggie smiles reassuringly. “They didn’t, but I was there for it. Kara was pretty obvious with all of the giggling at her phone. Anyways… yes, I do know Lois. Go ahead. Call her. It’ll be fun.”

“That’s actually not helping your argument,” Lena counters skeptically.

“I have her number, so there’s not much of an argument to make. It’ll be more efficient this way.” Her dimples show with the smile she gives Lena.

Letting out a sigh, Lena hits the call button.  _ I’m going to ask myself why I did this later. _

“Well if it isn’t National City’s very own Lois Lane,” Lois drawls. Lena rolls her eyes, and Maggie hides a laugh behind her hand. “Or should I say Super Babe’s Lois Lane? Or did I read between the lines wrong this afternoon?’

Lena groans with slight regret for this conversation already, and places an elbow on her desk to rest her head against her hand. “Say hello to Maggie Sawyer, Lois.”

“Hey, Lois!” Maggie smiles.

“Oh, shit! You got this bitch to hang out with you again?” Lois sounds impressed.

“Again?” Lena raises an eyebrow at Maggie.

Lois laughs. “Hold on, babe. You’ve been dying to tell me something all day, and I have a feeling that Maggie already knows, so spill.”

Lena rolls her eyes, while Maggie’s go wide in response to how Lois talks to Lena. With a long-suffering sigh, Lena gives Lois the short version of the previous night’s events. 

“Oh my god! That is like… sickeningly cute.” Lois chuckles. “Totally something I would expect from Kara, but never knew you had that much of a soft side. Although… considering how in l-”

“Yes, well,” Lena talks over Lois, “I was just caught up in all of the magic of the night.” Maggie chokes back laughter, and Lena glares at her. “Literal magic.” She’s quick to assert. “With all of his magic tricks.” Lena clears her throat, suddenly not feeling the confident Luthor. 

“We got it,” Maggie manages to choke out through her barely controlled laughter.

“You two are aging me more than my company or name.” Lena groans with her face in her hands.

Lois and Maggie laugh. “You’re only 24. Don’t get all dramatic on us,” Maggie teases.

“What!” Lois shouts, and Lena’s eyes go wide. “Bitch, what the hell? When I was your age, I was just getting my feet wet at the Daily Planet! I also hadn’t figured out the whole super thing yet.”

“That only aides my point, Lois.” Lena rolls her eyes again.

“It’s all good,” Lois says. “Kara will bring out the inner child in you.” 

“I look forward to seeing that,” Maggie comments. 

The three women banter for several more minutes until Lois is called away. “That was… something.” Lena shakes her head after ending the phone call.

“Got any plans tonight?” Maggie asks with a mischievous grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep thinking about how amazing it would be to have some fan art made from something in this series. I've thought about drawing that dancing scene in the ballroom. I have this image in my head of Mxy looking all pleased with himself in the background. But if I go and do that, I'll never get any writing done... Ah, one can dream though.
> 
> There are maybe 3 chapters left. I haven't decided how to split up the parts left yet. 
> 
> I'm working on the list for the next "season" of my series, and curious about what y'all would like to see. While I've been a fan of the DCU for a long time, I will never claim to know everything and all of the possibilities. What would be most fun for y'all to read? What special guests would you like to have? Anyone you think should become a regular? This "season" will end with these regulars: Kara, Lena, Alex, Maggie, Winn, James, and J'onn. Scheduled guests (that won't reveal any spoilers): Lucy Lane, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, M'gann M'orzz, Kate Kane, Barry Allen, Cat Grant, Jess, Agent Vasquez, Livewire, and Eliza Danvers.
> 
> Feel free to comment any requests/prompts/ideas/questions/etc on here. You can also use "CatarinaElibeth" to find me on Twitter and Tumblr. I've started posting fun snippets on Tumblr. I'll try to have this story finished before Monday's episode! I'm patiently waiting to see which Supergirl sub-fandoms will be disappointed. ;p
> 
> And as always... thanks for coming along for this long ride. I'm so excited to be getting into the good stuff now that they are together. AKA all of the badass team ups waiting to happen.


	30. The Danvers Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what has been most anticipated after the first kiss

Kara paces in her apartment, talking to herself under her breath. She checks the time. “5:30. Okay. You have time.” For the past 30 minutes, Kara has been agonizing over what to say when her sister arrives. She still has 30 more minutes until her sister is supposed to arrive. Her phone rings from the charger in the kitchen. She automatically smiles at the name.

“Lena, hi,” Kara breathes out with giddy smile.

“Hey, Kara. I hope this isn’t a bad time. I tried to catch you before Alex came over.”

“N-no Lena, this is perfect.”

A silent moment passes between them. “You sound a little stressed. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Yes, I was just…” She lets out another breath. “I may be a little nervous.”

“Oh, Kara. Your sister loves you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“No, no. I know. It’s just… I don’t know how she’s going to respond.”

“Kara, I have seen you two together and have heard enough stories to know how much you both mean to each other.”

Kara sighs. “You’re right. Sorry… you must have called me for a reason, and am over here just…” She clears her throat. 

“No, Kara. I-I actually just called to, um, check on you. I know you were a little nervous earlier, and then when we were texting…” She lets out a breath. “Sorry if that’s weird.”

Biting her lip, Kara shakes her head with open fondness. “It’s not weird at all, Lena. It’s… you… thank you.” She giggles. “Talking to you actually helped a lot.”

“Hmm, is that so?” Lena’s tone turns flirty.

“Mmhmm.” Kara feels her cheeks warm. “It did.”

“Well then I’m honored.” Kara lets out a small laugh. “How long until Alex gets there?”

“She was planning on 6, but I haven’t heard from her since earlier this afternoon.”

“I’m here if you need anything, Kara.”

“Thank you, Lena.”

“Text me with any updates?” Lena asks.

“Of course,” Kara responds with a smile. “I...I’ll talk to you later?” This is their first phone call as a couple, and Kara is unsure how to end it.

Lena’s amused chuckle filters through the connection. “I look forward to it. Have a good sister night, Kara.”

“Thanks!” Kara beams. “Don’t work too late, Lena.”

“I’ll do my best.” Her smile can be heard in her voice.

“Bye,” Kara says almost shyly.

“Bye, Kara.”

Still smiling, Kara turns her eyes to her phone screen. Her background image makes her smile grow wider. The image has only been there for a week. She had fallen in love with it from the moment she saw it, but was too nervous to have it on display every time her screen would come alive. While going through old pictures in her phone while she was bored at the DEO last week, she fell in love with the snapshot all over again. The picture was taken during her day at the beach with Lena.

* * *

_ There were a plethora of dogs running around the beach. Kara had squealed in delight when she saw a pack of corgis playing. Lena wasn’t surprised in the slightest with how quickly Kara had gotten the owners to warm up to her. The group of women in yoga pants laughed at Kara’s antics with their dogs, and Lena watched with a fond smile.  _

_ “Lena! Come meet this little cutie!” Kara’s enthusiasm was absolutely infectious.  _

_ Before Lena could fully process what walking into a group of excited dogs would likely lead to, she was standing beside a crouching Kara, who was petting a tri-color corgi puppy. Kara bounced up with the puppy in her arms. Lena had laughed at the cuteness overload, and happily pet the puppy. Kara pushed the puppy into Lena’s arms before the woman could protest, and handed off her phone to one of the nearby owners for a picture. Another wiggling body pranced around Lena’s feet for attention. _

_ “Aww,” Kara cooed, “that one likes you!” Grabbing onto Lena’s arm, Kara pulled her down to kneel with the squirming bodies. “Okay, smile!” Kara enthusiastically told Lena. _

_ “What?” Lena turned to Kara with a furrowed brow, but she was still smiling. _

_ Kara nudged her. “Picture.” She motioned with her head toward the woman holding her cellphone, since her hands were busy playing with one of the dogs. _

_ “Oh!” Lena gathered herself to throw a radiant smile at the camera. The puppy in Lena’s arms squirmed for attention, and Kara turned at the motion. _

_ When Kara and Lena retreated to relax on a blanket, Kara opened up the pictures. They both laughed and smiled fondly at the five pictures the woman took. _

* * *

Kara laughs at the memory. In the picture, Lena and Kara are kneeling in the sand with several dogs enjoying their attention. Their sides are pressed together, and both women are smiling brightly at the camera. Even the puppy in Lena’s arms is amazingly staying still, and she even looks as though she’s posing for the camera with her head tilted adorably. A content sigh escapes Kara as the screen of her phone turns black. 

After setting her phone down, she seeks out a snack. After taking a large bite of a candy bar, her phone buzzes. Alex texts her to let her know she is still held up at the DEO, but should be finished soon. Flopping onto her couch with Netflix, she updates Lena on the slight change in plans. After a few encouraging words, Kara leaves her alone to finish whatever she is working on at the moment. About an hour later, Alex lets her know that she is on her way. She sends off a quick text to Lena when she hears Alex coming down the hallway. With a nervous smile, she opens the door just as Alex lifts a hand to knock.

“Alex!” Kara’s exclamation makes Alex’s eyes widen slightly. She steps back to allow Alex to walk into the apartment.

“Hey, Kara. Sorry it took so long. I had to finish up an experiment.” After a quick hug, Alex drops her jacket onto a chair at the table before walking to the couch. Kara follows her several steps behind, but sits down slower than Alex does. “Everything go okay at CatCo after missing all of yesterday?” 

“Yeah… yeah.” Kara shakes her head. “James had covered for me early on, and Lena gave me this idea for an article that I wrote up this morning. I only had to edit it once, and Snapper accepted my not being there yesterday to chase down the scoop.”

Kara did not see Alex’s eyebrows go up when she mentioned Lena. “Well that’s good. You did enough chasing yesterday to last at least… a few days.” Alex teases.

With a groan, Kara plops her head onto the back of the couch. “I don’t know how my cousin deals with him more than once.”

Alex laughs and nudges Kara’s arm. “I heard about the platypus.”

Kara rolls her head to the side to glare at her sister. “It smelled funny.”

That only makes Alex laugh more. “So,” she turns sideways on the couch to face Kara, “what’s going on?”

Sighing, Kara turns to face her sister as well. She opens her mouth, but no words come out at first. Clearing her throat, she attempts to gather her nerves. “I-I didn’t tell you what we had to do to get Mxy to leave. It… it wasn’t really about the dancing. I don’t think.”

“Okay,” Alex says encouragingly. 

Standing up, Kara paces to the opposite side of the coffee table with her thumbnail between her teeth. She stops. Her body is angled sideways from Alex, so she can see her in her peripheral vision. “Now that I’m thinking about all of this, it… I’m… scared.” She breathes out the last word.

Before Alex can stand, Kara is pacing a small path between the kitchen and living space. “What are you scared of, Kara?” Alex’s eyebrows are furrowed in concern.

Kara paces in silence for a few more moments before stopping with her back to her sister. “We kissed.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“What?”

Taking a deep breath, Kara turns over her shoulder to face her sister. “We kissed.” 

Alex takes in the distraught look on Kara’s face, and stands up to rush to her. She stands in front of Kara, immediately grabbing both of her hands. “You and Lena?” Kara nods. “Is that what you had to do to get him to leave?” She nods again. “Kara,” Alex’s tone is confused, “that’s… an odd thing for him to want you to do, but, hey… he’s gone now. It’s all over. Obviously she’s not mad at you, or you wouldn’t have been happy to be texting her last night.”

Kara shakes her head. “No, she’s not…” She stops mid sentence with a tilt of her head. “How did you know she’s the one that text me?”

Alex shrugs. “It made sense. You did just rescue her, and she’s the only person that texts your burner phone.”

“Superphone,” Kara corrects with a small smile.

“Whatever.” Alex rolls her eyes. “You haven’t answered my question. What’s scaring you?”

Kara steps back, releasing her sister’s hands. She walks over to the couch, sitting down in silence. Alex watches her, but remains standing to give her sister some space. “What if it was just because of the magic or whatever it was that he does?” Kara picks at the hem of her shirt. “We, um… she said she likes me. I like her, too. But… what if it was just like a heat of the moment type of thing?”

Alex tilts her head as pieces start to fall together. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Kara, what happened between you two?”

The younger sister silently watches her own fingers fidget for a moment. “We talked… about us.”

With wide eyes, Alex’s arms fall to her side. She takes slow steps to join her sister on the couch. She sits sideways, so she can give Kara her full attention. “How did that go?”

Still not looking up at Alex, Kara continues to fidget with her hands. “She, um, asked me to go out with her.”

With a slow nod that’s more for herself than Kara, Alex quickly thinks about the implications of Kara and Lena moving beyond friendship, but ultimately focuses on what her sister needs right now. “And what did you say?”

“Yes.” The corner of Kara’s lip quirks upward for a moment. “That’s the short version at least.”

“So,” Alex thinks of what’s most bothering her sister, “are you wishing you hadn’t now?”

“No!” Kara is quick to insist. “I just… I don’t want…” She pauses to sort her emotions. “What if something goes wrong?”

Alex grabs her sister’s hand. “Hey… you are a superhero. You face risks all of the time. It’s in our line of work, Kara… but during those times when you aren’t punching a rogue alien or stopping a forest fire, you should take advantage of that time to live your life the way  **you** want.” She squeezes Kara’s hand. “Do you like her?” She keeps her voice low.

Kara bites her lip before finally meeting her sister’s eyes. “I do, Alex. It’s… I never thought… Apart from you, she’s my best friend. And it’s not something I actively thought of before. She’s just… Lena to me.” She shrugs. “I didn’t know I could develop feelings for a…” Her crinkle appears on her forehead as she looks away in thought.

With a fond chuckle, Alex tucks a loose strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “Wasn’t Krypton a culture where bonds were based on compatibility over anything else?”

“Yes?” Kara looks back at Alex with the crinkle still in place.

“Even though you’ve spent the past 13 years blending into Earth’s customs, you are still Kryptonian, Kara. Your developmental years were on Krypton.”

Kara nods slowly. “But… I-I grew up here?”

“Sure, according to Earth’s standards to put a label on everything, you may consider yourself straight. But that doesn’t matter if you, Kara Zor-El, find someone that you ultimately connect with.”

Kara’s eyes stare into Alex’s for a silent moment. Suddenly, she launches at her sister with a hug as tight as she dares. Without hesitation, Alex wraps her arms around her little sister. When she feels Kara’s shoulder shaking, Alex begins rubbing her back. “What do I do though?” Kara asks when she gets her sobs under control.

Gently, Alex pushes Kara back, so they can look at each other. With a smile, Alex wipes away the tears left on Kara’s cheeks. “ You know, I happen to have taken a rather big romantic risk recently. And I got to say, it pays off. Maybe she's worth a shot.”

A radiant smile takes its time spreading across Kara’s face. Despite her own setbacks with Maggie Sawyer, Kara can see how genuinely happy she makes Alex. “You do know that I am so happy for you, right?”

Alex pulls her in for another hug. “Thank you, Kara.” They pull back from the hug. “As long as Lena makes you happy, then I’m happy.” Kara opens her mouth to speak, but Alex beats her to it. “And I am working on trusting her. Really. I am. She’s given us no reason to suspect her of anything.” Kara smile grows. “You’re my little sister, Kara. I love you. I’m always going to want to see you happy.”

“I love you too, Alex!” They hug again.

Alex’s smile turns mischievous when lean back. “But that’s not going to stop me from being the intimidating big sister, and I will make sure she regrets it if she ever hurts you.”

Shaking her head, Kara only laughs. “Honestly, I can’t say I would expect anything less from you.”

“To be fair, you did threaten to throw my girlfriend into space.”

“Only if she hurts you!” Kara defends.

“That’s my point!” Alex laughs. 

“You’re just jealous that you could never give a shovel talk as awesome as Supergirl.”

“At least I know how not to smile when I’m threatening someone.” Alex throws back.

“Smiling is all part of my strategy.” Kara crosses her arms over her chest with a defiant huff. 

“Whatever you say, Kara.” 


	31. Knock Knock

Alex laughs teasingly at her little sister, who groans in response. “Ugh.” Kara stands. “I’m getting ice cream.” She walks to her freezer.

“Have you even had dinner?” Alex calls after her.

“That’s why I’m getting ice cream, Alex.” Kara states as if it’s obvious as she pulls out one of the cartons of ice cream Lena had brought over last week. She pops off the top before grabbing a spoon to scoop a large bite into her mouth. “Lena stocked up my ice cream supply. What fla…” She furrows her eyebrows together when her eyes catch the devilish smile Alex is giving her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Without a word, Alex stands up and walks to the kitchen. She steps past Kara to open the freezer door. Kara holds her ice cream close to her chest as she brings another spoonful to her mouth. With one hand on the freezer door and one on her hip, Alex looks over her shoulder at Kara with a knowing smirk.

“What?” Kara asks with innocent eyes. Alex narrows her eyes at Kara, making the younger woman begin to squirm. She makes a point to fit a large scoop of ice cream into her mouth. There’s a knock on the door, and Kara slightly jumps. “I’ll get that.” In a blur, Kara is opening the door with her spoon hanging out of her mouth and the ice cream carton in the hand not holding the door. “Lena!” Without conscious thought, she catches the spoon that falls from her mouth as she absolutely beams at her girlfriend. “Hi.”

Lena’s smile rivals Kara’s radiance. “Hello, Kara.” They smile at each other on opposite sides of the doorway.

“If you could just let me in, you two can continue having your moment.” Maggie’s voice sounds from behind Lena, breaking both of them out of their trances. Kara stammers as her face colors, while Lena brushes her hands down the front of her skirt. Biting her lip, Lena brushes past Kara to stop just inside of the apartment.

“Hello, Agent Danvers.” Lena smiles politely at Alex.

With a playful eye roll, Maggie walks past the couple with two pizza boxes. “Alex, are you about to eat ice cream?”

Alex shuts the freezer door quickly. “Hey, Luthor.”

Lena laughs when she finally sees the ice cream in Kara’s hand. “So both Danvers sisters have questionable eating habits?” Lena teases.

“Ice cream is amazing. It’s also technically dairy, so…” Kara scoops a small amount onto her spoon. Acting purely on instinct with no consideration to her audience, she holds the spoon in front of Lena’s lips with a challenging eyebrow raise and smile.

Lena’s eyes flick down to the spoon and back up to Kara’s eyes. Maintaining eye contact, she slowly takes the spoon into her mouth. When she pulls back, she winks at Kara, who swallows heavily.

A choking sound breaks their moment, and Kara and Lena turn to see Maggie patting Alex on the back as she carefully sets down her open bottle of beer. “Don’t die on me, Danvers.” Maggie teases playfully. Alex glares at Maggie as she gains control of her breathing. Maggie only laughs. “Let your sister have her moment with her new girlfriend.”

Alex’s eyes go wide. She turns to look back and forth between Kara and Lena. Kara is still awkwardly holding the spoon in the air, and Lena is watching Alex with a raised eyebrow. “Oh,” Alex says with next to no emotion. Her eyes flick back and forth a few more times. “Oh!” She says louder as her eyebrows shoot to the top of her forehead.

Lena’s face twists in confusion, and she turns back to Kara with a questioning look touched with hurt. “I thought-”

“I told-” Kara is interrupted by Alex.

“Oh no! Sorry!” Alex composes herself as she waves her hands. Maggie watches in amusement, while Kara and Lena wear confused expressions. “When you told me she asked you out, I guess I thought you meant… never mind.” Alex shakes her head with a self-deprecating laugh.

Understanding dawning on her, Lena smirks before throwing a sultry grin over her shoulder at Kara. “Your ice cream is melting.”

Eyes going wide, Kara glances down at her ice cream. She blows a quick burst of freeze breath over the ice cream. “All better.” She smiles triumphantly at Lena.

“Kara!” Alex admonishes.

“What?” Kara’s eyes are wide at her sister. Alex gestures wildly between Lena and the ice cream. “Oh.” Kara lets out a laugh. “About that…”

Alex sighs. “You’re telling Pam.”

“Who?” Kara’s eyebrows furrow.

“Forget it. I’ll let J’onn deal with that.” Alex shakes her head before taking a long sip of her beer. “Let’s eat.” She turns one of the pizza boxes around to open it.

Alex and Maggie begin chatting amongst themselves, leaving Lena to turn to Kara. “Well that was interesting.”

Kara laughs nervously. “Yeah.” She bites her lip. “Not that I am not really happy to see you, but what are you and Maggie doing here?”

“That would be Maggie’s idea.” Lena removes her coat and puts it on the hook. “I’ll explain later.” She turns back to Kara. “I hope it’s okay though… that-”

“No,” Kara insists, “it’s perfectly alright.” She grabs Lena’s hand with her free hand. “I’m happy to see you.”

“So everything went okay with Alex?”

Kara nods. “I’ll tell you all about it later.” She smiles.

“You didn’t eat dinner, did you?” Lena recognizes the signs of hunger in her girlfriend.

With a sheepish expression, Kara holds up the ice cream. “Well…”

Laughing, Lena nudges Kara toward the kitchen. “Let’s get you fed. Will you be okay with...” She nods her head toward the table where Alex and Maggie are setting plates down.

Nodding, Kara smiles at her reassuringly. “Of course.”

“Okay. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” She smiles at Kara. “Go put away your ice cream.”

“You’re the best.” Kara puts the ice cream away in a second. She stands back in front of Lena with a mischievous smile. “Done.”

Shaking her head fondly, Lena takes a step toward the table, but Kara steps closer to her. She looks at Kara with a raised eyebrow in question. Lena doesn’t have time to register the sparkle in Kara’s eyes before lips are touching hers. She responds to the kiss immediately, placing her hands on Kara’s stomach.

Suddenly, Kara pulls back with a slight flinch. Lena furrows her brow at Kara, but Kara misses it due to the glare she throws at Alex.

Alex is taking a sip of her beer nonchalantly, and Maggie is watching Kara and Lena with a smirk.  “Alex.” Kara’s tone is accusing.

“Kara.” Alex mimics Kara’s tone, meeting her sister’s eyes unflinchingly.

Lena’s face grows more confused when Kara turns her attention to the floor. “What are-”

“Ha!” Kara squats down to pick up something from the floor. She holds up a beer cap triumphantly. Nodding her head in understanding, Lena's smirk contrasts the crinkle that forms on Kara’s forehead. “It’s not nice to throw things.” Kara admonishes her sister.

“It’s not nice to make out with your girlfriend while we’re trying to have dinner.”

Rolling her eyes, Kara tugs Lena’s hand toward the table. “We didn’t tell you to wait for us,” Kara tells her sister as she sits down across from her. Lena sits beside Kara and across from Maggie, who turns the box of pizza she knows Lena wants toward her, allowing the sisters to continue their bickering. Kara grabs slices from the other box.

Alex takes a bite of her pizza and swallows before responding. “And since when do you wait to eat?”

Kara shrugs as she chews her pizza. Lena hides a smile by taking a sip of water, thinking of the multiple times Kara has put off eating for her. She had put up a valiant effort against Maggie in coming tonight, but she ultimately did not want the possible alternatives. Either Maggie would show up, and Kara would have to deal with that tension on her own, or she would be left alone after Alex went home. Either way, Lena wanted to offer her support to Kara after her talk with Alex. She knows Kara and Maggie both dearly love Alex, and neither woman would let the tensions between them affect their relationships with Alex. The two women just need to find common ground beyond Alex.

The light banter turns into discussion of their days. Eventually, Kara is is convinced to talk about the Mxyzptlk pranks. With the events feeling farther in the past than they actually are, Kara feels comfortable to laugh at some of the more humorous pranks.

“You do have to admit that he got you good on that one,” Alex says in regards to Mr. Mxyzptlk pretending saying his name backwards had worked.

Kara groans with a playful eye roll. “You wouldn’t laugh if it was you.”

“That’s very true,” Maggie adds.

“Okay, but can we agree that Kara’s idea was very clever?” Lena asks.

Alex rolls her eyes. “Is this how it’s going to be now?” She looks pointedly at Lena.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Agent Danvers.” Lena raises an eyebrow.

Narrowing her eyes, Alex decides to give up on that line of teasing. “How would you have gotten him to say it?” She asks Maggie.

“Probably a joke or something.” Her nonchalant tone draws everyone’s eyes. She shrugs in response. “He’s a prankster. Games are his thing, right? Play a game right back, and he’ll be too distracted to notice what you’re doing.”

“That something you learn from being a detective, Maggie?” Lena teases.

“Eh.” Maggie shrugs noncommittally. “More like a survival tactic I learned during my stint in Gotham.”

“You were in Gotham?” Alex asks in surprise.

Maggie uses grabbing another slice of pizza to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes. “Yeah, for a little while. Some of us from MPD went there for hurricane backup. I hung out there for a couple of weeks.”

“I have a question.” Lena leans forward conspiratorially. “Were you into the dark leather look before or after your stay there?

A surprised burst of laughter escapes Maggie, and she has to cover her mouth to calm it down. “I got into it sometime after leaving Nebraska.”

“It’s a good look for you.” Alex smiles at Maggie.

Kara smiles, feeling so happy for and proud of her sister. Their conversation is light as they finish eating. Lena offers to help Kara clean up everything. “Thanks for having me over,” Lena says when they are in the kitchen.

“You’re always welcome, Lena.” Kara’s response is instinctive and immediate.

“You’re too sweet.” Lena stands leans her hip against the counter.

“For you? Never.” Kara leans her own hip a foot in front of Lena. She sets her hand on top of the hand Lena has on the counter.

“Such a way with words, Miss Danvers.” Lena bites her lip.

Kara absentmindedly rubs her thumb over Lena’s knuckles. “It’s my duty to speak the truth, Miss Luthor.”

“So you’ve said.” Lena shifts closer to Kara.

“You know we’re still here, right?” Alex’s voice comes from the other side of the kitchen island. Kara and Lena turn toward Alex and Maggie.

“I would never forget you, Alex.” Kara smiles at her sister.

Alex smiles and shakes her head fondly. “I love you too, Kara.”

“Are you two leaving?” Kara notices that they are both wearing their jackets.

“Yeah, I have an early morning,” Maggie answers.

“Stop by tomorrow afternoon?” Alex asks Kara, making sure not to mention the DEO around Lena.

“Yup, I’ll be there.” Kara hugs her sister. “Drive safe, okay?”

“I am happy for you, Kara,” Alex quietly says near Kara’s ear.

“I love you, Alex.”

Alex squeezes Kara before releasing her and stepping back. “It was good to see you, Lena.” She smiles politely at the CEO.

“You too, Agent Danvers.” Lena returns the smile. Alex quirks her eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything more.

“You two have a good night.” Maggie smiles at both women.

Kara smiles at Maggie. Lena smirks and says, “You too, Maggie.” She watches Kara walk the other couple to the door, suddenly wondering if she should leave too. Kara breaks her out of her thoughts.

“I know it’s like 9 and you probably have to work early tomorrow, but do you want to stay a little longer?” Kara leans her forearms on the kitchen island opposite from where Lena is standing.

Tapping her fingers on the countertop, Lena quickly reviews her Wednesday morning. She makes a decision with a smile. “What did you have in mind?” Her posture mirrors Kara’s.

Reaching across the counter, Kara grabs one of Lena’s hands. “Anything with you sounds great to me.”

Lena smiles softly at Kara. “Sweet talker.”

They spend an hour talking on opposite ends of the couch with their legs tangled together in the center. Lena’s favorite blanket of Kara’s is covering their legs, and they each have a glass of wine. Conversation flows easily, allowing both women to purely enjoy one another’s company. When Lena’s driver arrives downstairs, Kara offers to walk with her. To Kara’s surprise, Darias is not waiting outside of the car. Lena notices the question on Kara’s face. “I told him he could stay in the car,” she tells Kara with a squeeze to their joined hands.

“Oh.” Kara relaxes and throws a smile at Lena. They stop beside the back door of the vehicle. “I’m glad you stayed.”

“Thanks for having me.” They stand facing each other. “It was a nice night.”

Kara tugs on the hand in hers to pull Lena into a hug. Lena’s arms slide around Kara’s neck as Kara holds her closely around the waist. Slowly, they pull back while keeping their arms around each other. Kara’s eyes flick down to Lena’s lips. When they come back up, she catches Lena’s eyes coming back from her lips. Leaning forward, their lips meet in the middle. The kiss lasts a few seconds, but it’s full of emotion. Pulling back, Kara’s eyes flutter open to find Lena smiling at her.

“Text me when you get home?” Kara whispers into the small space between them.

“Of course,” Lena responds with a soft smile. Kara releases Lena’s waist, and Lena steps back. Opening the door to the car, Kara smiles shyly at Lena. “Thank you, Kara.” Lena steps inside of the door and leans against it to place another kiss on Kara’s lips. “Good night,” she whispers.

“Good night,” Kara whispers back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep thinking about how amazing it would be to have some fan art made from something in this series. I've thought about drawing that dancing scene in the ballroom. I have this image in my head of Mxy looking all pleased with himself in the background. But if I go and do that, I'll never get any writing done... Ah, one can dream though.
> 
> What would be most fun for y'all to read? What special guests would you like to have? Anyone you think should become a regular? Feel free to comment any requests/prompts/ideas/questions/etc on here. You can also use "CatarinaElibeth" to find me on Twitter and Tumblr. I've started posting fun snippets on Tumblr. 
> 
> I'm almost finished with the last chapter of this story!


	32. Who's There?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, y'all! The last chapter will hopefully be finished in a few days. The next story will be one chapter, and it will have the poll for the SuperCorp baby name!

Agent Danvers is standing at the table in the command center with Winn and Agent Vasquez. They are reviewing information from Vasquez’s research. 

“Hey Alex,” Winn interrupts with a tone mixed with fear and an apology. 

Alex looks at the man. “What?”

Winn gestures somewhere behind Alex. “Um, your, uh, Detective Sawyer is here.” Alex recently introduced everyone to Maggie at the alien bar, but they have all only hung out at the one game night before Lillian Luthor’s trial. That night is still remembered for how it ended. 

Turning around, Alex finds Maggie walking toward her. Automatically, a smile graces Alex’s features when she sees Maggie’s smile. She quickly turns back to Winn and Vasquez. “We’ll pick this up after lunch.”

They nod respectfully before Alex goes to meet her girlfriend. “Hey,” Maggie says when they stop in front of each other. “I got your text. Thought I could steal you for lunch.” 

Earlier, Kara had notified Alex that she would not make it into the DEO until later in the afternoon. She also asked Alex for some advice on surprising Lena for lunch, but Alex left that part out of her text message to Maggie. “I’m all yours. Lead the way, Sawyer.” Alex bumps shoulders with Maggie as they start walking. 

A whooshing sound halts their movements, and Alex puts a hand on her gun in reflex. Superman lands at the bottom of the main stairs. Alex straightens and crosses her arms. 

Superman steps toward her purposefully with a concerned expression. “Is everyone okay?” He sounds almost annoyed.

Alex looks around, internally proud of the professional agents still focused on their work. “Everyone here is fine, Superman.” J’onn’s deep voice catches their attention as he joins them. “I assume Mr. Mxyzptlk kept you indisposed.”

Crossing his arms, Superman addresses J’onn. “I was stranded at the Fortress of Solitude.”

“But how-” Alex begins with confusion written on her face.

“He showed up right after Supergirl left. He made sure I would be out of the way of whatever his plans were. I would have been here as soon as the spell was broken, but I was needed in Gotham yesterday.”

“Supergirl did an excellent job at sending him back to the fifth dimension,” J’onn states with a touch of pride. 

“Good. He hasn’t come in years. I had almost thought he was done with his pranks.”

“Well he certainly pulled plenty of his tricks on Monday,” Alex exclaims. 

“It used to be easier to get rid of him. He’d come every three months, and I would be prepared with another way to get him to say his name backwards. One day, he came back frustrated and saying he now had to say his name twice. After that, he didn’t show up for a couple years. When he did come back, he talked about how the name thing was far too boring, so there would be different rules each time.”

“Wait.” Maggie looks back and forth between Alex and Superman. “What did he do to you?” She asks the hero.

Eyes fall on Maggie before shifting curiously to Superman, who crosses his arms and clears his throat. “He trapped me in the Fortress... without my powers… with a friend of mine.”

“He can take away powers?” Alex’s eyes go wide.

“Not exactly.” Superman winces ever so slightly. “He turned me into an infant. Kryptonians’ powers don’t develop until puberty under a yellow sun.”

Maggie’s eyebrows raise, but she doesn’t say anything or allow herself to laugh. Alex rubs her nose to hide her smile. J’onn nods slowly in thought, serious expression on his face. “And with him going back to the fifth dimension, everything he did was undone.” J’onn clarifies. 

“Right,” Superman says with a firm nod. Everyone is silent for a few moments as they go into their own thoughts. “Where is Supergirl?” Superman looks around him before turning his eyes to J’onn. 

Maggie looks at Alex, who crosses her arms and doesn’t look at Superman. J’onn, having read the thoughts of Alex and Maggie, steps past Alex, closer to Superman. “Supergirl is making up for her lost day of work on Monday. She will be here this afternoon.”

Taking advantage of not having any focus on her, Maggie pulls out her phone to text Lois.

**Maggie Sawyer:** Superman is looking for Supergirl while Kara Danvers is having lunch with her Luthor girlfriend.

The detective hears the awkward conversation going on around her, but doesn’t join. After a few minutes with no response from Lois, Superman suddenly reaches into his boot. “Hold that thought,” he says to J’onn. “Hello?” His face turns from serious to slightly sheepish after a few seconds. “Lunch… Yes… okay… I-I will. Right away, Mr. White.” He hangs up and puts the phone back in his boot. “I’m glad everything is all good here.” He nods respectfully at J’onn. “Tell Supergirl that I’m proud of her.” He smiles at Alex before taking off out of the window.

Maggie looks at Alex. “So… lunch?”

Alex laughs. “Please.” She turns to J’onn. “I’ll let Kara know.”

“Let her enjoy her lunch, Agent Danvers… as you should, too. We’ll debrief this afternoon.” He nods at the two women before turning on his heel to speak with Agent Vasquez.

“Maybe we should get out of here before another alien shows up,” Maggie jokes.

“Couldn’t agree more.”

“I think both Danvers girls deserve one uninterrupted lunch.”

With a chuckle, Alex smiles fondly. “Don’t jinx us, Sawyer.”

“Of course not.” Maggie holds her hands up in a placating gesture. “Hey, do you think Lena is going to have lunch with Kara or Supergirl?”

“No.” Alex turns to her with a stern look. “We are not going to start betting on things between the two of them.”

“Okay, okay.” They get to the door in comfortable silence. “Did you know she keeps a spare pair of glasses at Lena’s place?”

Alex walkss into the door frame.

* * *

 

Lena steps out of the meeting room with her CEO mask firmly in place. Her heels echo in a distinct rhythm down the hallway toward her office. She stops in front of Jess’ desk., and the assistant's attention is on her instantly. 

“Jess, has Dr. Sanchez received my message?”

“Yes, ma’am. She will be up here at 10:30.”

Glancing at the clock behind Jess’ desk, Lena sees that she has 30 minutes. “Thank you, Jess.” Lena begins to turn, but Jess hurries to speak.

“Will you be needing me to order your lunch, Miss Luthor?”

Lena pauses and looks over her shoulder at Jess. “Actually, I placed an order already with Noonan’s. Have Alana pick it up at 12:30.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.”

With a nod, Lena turns and goes into her office. When her office door closes, she takes in a deep breath of the fresh air blowing in through the balcony door she has propped open. She stands in front of her desk chair, taking in the folders on her desk with her fingertips resting on the white table top. After a moment of thought with her fingers lightly tapping on the desk, she slides the folders out of the way. Pulling her laptop toward her, she takes a seat before opening it.

“Rough morning?”

Lena’s head jerks up with her eyes wide to see Supergirl sitting in one of the seats across from her desk. Her senses are filled with her racing heart, and she sits up straighter to gain control of her body. She ignores the knowing smirk on the hero’s face. “Supergirl,” her voice is only a touch breathless, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Supergirl crosses her legs at her knees. “Oh, you know... I was in the neighborhood.” She waves a hand nonchalantly. “I delivered some would-be bank robbers to the police, and I saw that your door was open. Thought I’d check on National City’s most powerful resident.” The sneakiest wink ghosts on Supergirl’s face.

Humming in thought, Lena leans forward with her forearms on the desk. “I would have thought that title to be yours, Supergirl.”

“Nah,” her tone is playful, “that title is all yours, Miss Luthor.” She smiles. “What you do is far more impressive.”

“Is that so?” Lena’s signature smirk takes over her features. 

“Absolutely!” There’s no hesitation in Supergirl’s response. She leans toward Lena. “And you’re  **super** smart.”

Lena’s eyebrow quirks. “Are you this flattering to all of the CEOs you encounter?”

“Only when they’re as amazing as you.” Supergirl tilts her head with a smile.

“Why Supergirl… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were flirting with me.” Lena’s expression is a mix between scandalized and playful. 

Uncrossing her legs, Supergirl slides to the edge of her seat and rests her elbows on her knees. With an amazing amount of willpower, she refrains from breaking her serious expression. “Is that so hard to believe?” Her tone is sincere.

“A Super coming onto a Luthor?” The CEO further leans on her forearms. “I must say, Supergirl…” She bites her lip as she looks closely at Supergirl. “You sure know how to subvert expectations.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Supergirl grins.

Lena makes a noncommittal hum as she sits back in her chair. “You would.”

Supergirl sits back in her chair with a shrug and a smirk. “You don’t seem to be complaining.” She smiles wide. “Maybe you even enjoy it.” She pauses to bite her lip. “Maybe I could even talk you into having lunch with me.”

“I’m sorry, Supergirl.” Lena’s face remains stoic and a little apologetic. “I must politely decline.”

“Really?” Supergirl’s eyebrows furrow together.

“Mmhmm, I already have plans.”

“Maybe we could meet up later then.”

Lena bites back a smirk. “Again, I will have to decline.”

“Is it because I’m a Super?” The hero asks asks with a hand to her chest in mock offense.

The CEO’s eyes close for a moment as a chuckle threatens to escape. She gathers herself quickly and focuses on Supergirl again. “I have no qualms with looking past your name, but I am unavailable, Supergirl.”

“You are?” The corner of Supergirl’s lips threaten to break into a smile.

“I am.” Lena smiles. “Happily,” she adds after a pause.

Supergirl stands up and leans sideways against Lena’s desk. “Pity.” She smirks down at Lena, who reclines in her seat to look up at the hero. “I’m happy for you though. You deserve to be happy, Lena.”

“Ever the selfless hero,” Lena teases.

“What can I say?” Supergirl straightens off of the desk and takes a step back to strike her trademark pose. “It’s what I do.” She winks at the CEO. “See you around, Lena.”

“Bye, Supergirl.” She smiles brightly at the hero. In a light breeze, Supergirl escapes through the open door. With a fond shake of her head and a laugh, Lena turns her attention back to her laptop. “Who knew Kara could switch from best friend to girlfriend so quickly?” She muses as she skirts around the fact that she has done the same.

Lena’s intercom comes to life beside her. “Miss Luthor.”

“Yes, Jess?”

“Dr. Sanchez has arrived early.”

“You can send her in,” Lena states as she adjusts in her chair to prepare for the meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on my treatment for the web series, so this was put on the back burner for a few days. I'm almost done with the treatment! Ah! I'll be sending it to my co-creator soon to get his feedback. I'm working so hard on it, and have such high hopes that it can be a great show with diverse representation. I just really don't want all of this work to lead to nothing if I can't find a full team and cast when the time comes.
> 
> Way off topic, but I entered this art contest with the company I do kickboxing with. http://woobox.com/2vsgyr/gallery/7BeB2sIezqc


	33. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next story will be a single, fluffy chapter before drama starts back up, and it will have the poll for the SuperCorp baby name!
> 
> Way off topic, but I entered this art contest with the company I do kickboxing with. I would love if y'all voted for me! <3 http://woobox.com/2vsgyr/gallery/7BeB2sIezqc
> 
> Another new video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrbwNnpKY5E&feature=youtu.be

“The sample is simply far too synthesized to be melded with any of the natural minerals.” Dr. Sanchez is sitting across from Lena with a tablet in her hands. With an impassive expression, Lena has a tablet with the reports from the S-Lab on her desk. “Without any specifications, it’s risky to test it with any of our existing material. Is there any way-”

“No.” Lena sits up straighter in her seat, pressing her palm onto the desk to center herself. “Contacting him is not an option.” She nods more to herself than to Dr. Sanchez. “That variation isn’t particularly as important to our goal.”

“With it, we can find the difference between a psychological and a physiological reaction in the-”

“It’s not worth the risk. You’ve seen the footage. We are putting ourselves at a great risk just by having that small sample.”

“Should we dispose of it?”

Lena pauses to give the question the amount of thought it requires. “We need to remove its qualities before we can discuss how to dispose of it safely.”

Dr. Sanchez taps on her tablet as she searches for a specific report. “I know you were hesitant to radiate it, but-”

“There is still the chance it will render its radiation powerless; however, there is just as much possibility of the sample simply being altered.” She sits up straighter as she start typing on her tablet. “I want to attempt to melt it down first. If we can do that, we can encase it with a molded version of the magno-x. That should contain any of the mineral’s radiation left over.”

“So you want a double fail safe?” Dr. Sanchez looks up and pauses in her typing.

“Precisely.” Lena sets her tablet on her desk.

“I will begin tests on the sample’s melting point.” Dr. Sanchez stands. “Anything else for now?”

“No, let’s make that sample inert before we venture into other minerals.”

“You got it.” Dr. Sanchez pauses in her walk to the door, her eyes straying to the coffee table. “Did you notice your pieces are set up incorrectly?” She asks without taking her eyes off of the coffee table.

Sitting up straighter, Lena’s face loses any sign of emotion. “That must have been Kara. She was fiddling with the pieces before you came up here.”

“Oh, okay.” Dr. Sanchez smiles over her shoulder. “Have a good day, Lena.”

“You too, Jenny.” Lena’s eyes don’t stray from Jenny until the door is closed behind her. She lets out a slow breath once the door closes. “Fuck,” she mutters under her breath. The fingers of one hand tap on the desk as the thumb of the other hand finds its way between her teeth. Looking at the time, she sees that she has less than 15 minutes before her next scheduled appointment.

Lena abandons her desk to walk over to her couch. Her eyes stare at the chess board with coldness as she sits on the white cushions. The white queen’s knight is directly in front of the black king. The nose of the knight is facing the black king’s knight. The white pawn from B2, the square in front of the queen’s white knight, is now taking the knight’s position. The misplaced black pawn is on B2. Lena’s lips purse as she takes in the placement. A stony expression comes across her face before she bends forward to pick up the white pawn that’s been moved.

* * *

_Lena leaned against a lab table with her television remote in her hands, he attention on the screen before her._

_“... and it’s been a long time coming, Dan. Alexander Luthor’s trial is set to start on Monday, and it has been hinted that a key witness will be the Man of Steel himself.” A woman’s voice spoke over various footage of damage done to Metropolis. Lena changed the channel._

_“... Lex Luthor…”_

_The channel is changed again._

_“..Luthor, being charged of…”_

_She changed the channel._

_“... Supergirl.” Lena slowly brought the remote back to rest against her chin. “Yes, as you can see here, the Girl of Steel hurls Cat Grant from the top of CatCo in National City.” A man described the grainy video._

_A woman picked up the conversation. “Later, Supergirl was seen battling on a street full of civilians. This led to another alien being revealed.”_

_“Yes, but that is an entirely different discussion, Pam. In the last weeks, we’ve seen a decrease in trust of Supergirl.”_

_“That’s true. Even with word getting out about some form of poison affecting National City’s hero, it’s not easy to gain back that faith we once had in the hero.”_

_“Can we even still call her a hero?”_

_Lena watched as different footage and images were displayed on the screen. The words filtered out of her focus as she took notice of the differences in the Supergirl wearing black and the one in a skirt._

_“It’s impressive, isn’t it?”_

_Looking over her shoulder, she found the source of the familiar and unwelcome voice. “Mr. Lord,” Lena says coldly, “I suppose that’s your doing then.” It wasn’t a question. She turned back to the television._

_Maxwell Lord started walking toward her. He stopped behind her on the opposite side of the lab table. “It wasn’t the result I was hoping for, but this is what happens when gods walk on our planet.”_

_Lena’s jaw tensed, and she refused to turn around to take the bait. “That’s what you wanted the kryptonite for.”_

_He laughed. “Unfortunately, Supergirl was not my target. No… I was after some bigger fish. I do have a new plan though.”_

_“And you honestly expect that I will be willing to help you after seeing the result of your last plan?” Lena finally turned to face him, the television forgotten behind her._

_“Lena,” he spoke as if talking to a child, “you know aliens with these powers are a danger to humans… to Earth. Think about what could happen if these so-called heroes decide to turn on us. Think about your brother locked away, awaiting trial right now.”_

_“I am not my brother, Mr. Lord.” Her voice grew colder._

_“No.” He tilted his head as he seemed to inspect her. “You’re not.” He took a step closer and rested his hands on the lab table. “You’re much better… All the Luthor power and brains without the insanity… and you were smart enough to say ‘yes’ to me.” A smug grin spread across his lips._

_Lena raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. “Why are you here, Mr. Lord?”_

_Without a word, he put the briefcase in his hands on the table. “For your ingenuity, of course.” He opened the briefcase, pulling out what looked like a headset. “There’s something brewing in National City, and I’m going to be the one to save us.”_

_“How selfless,” Lena deadpanned._

_“This,” he holds up the headset, “is how we win. I’ll even let you have one.” Lena tensed her jaw in defiance and stared at him for several moments. “We both know you really don’t have a choice here. We don’t do this, and humans will be overrun.” He grinned. “We both know you don’t have it in you to let people get hurt.”_

_She reached her hand out and plucked the device from his fingers. Turning it over in her hands, she took the time to observe the headset. “An ion blocker.” She looked up at Maxwell._

_His grin turned devilish. “Nothing gets by you, Lena.”_

_“Since when do you need help with your mad scientist ventures?”_

_He stretched across the table to take back the headset. “I need to make a smaller one.”_

_“How small?”_

_“What do you know about making earrings?”_

* * *

Lena turns the white pawn around in her fingers, her mind running through various thoughts. Without taking her eyes off of the pawn in her hands, she reaches for the misplaced white knight. After a few moments, she corrects the pieces on her board. She walks back to her desk, picking up her cellphone on her way to stand facing her floor-to-ceiling windows.

She speaks as soon as the call is answered. “Mr. Wayne.”

“Miss Luthor, I presume.” He chuckles without warmth “I wondered when I would be receiving a call from the newest CEO. I shouldn’t be surprised that you managed to track down my direct office line.”

“I recently had a dalliance with one of your COOs, and I believe our collaboration on a project would be mutually beneficial.”

“I see. Why not get in touch with them directly?”

Lena turns back to look at the chess board over her shoulder. “When you hear what I have to propose, you may have interest in handling some of the affairs personally.”

The line is silent for several heartbeats. “Which COO?”

Smirking, Lena turns to sit in her desk chair. “The one that was recently in National City.” She pauses a moment. “She may even still be here.”

“Fine.” A longer silence stretches between them. “You will hear from her soon. Is that all, Miss Luthor?”

“For now.”

“Goodbye, Miss Luthor.”

“I’ll talk to you soon, Mr. Wayne.” He hangs up quickly, and Lena places her phone back on her desk. A knocking on her office door sounds a moment before it opens.

“Miss Luthor,” Alana, one of Lena’s assistants, says as she carries takeout bags into the room.

Lena stands as she gestures to the coffee table. “Ah, Alana. You can set those down there. Thank you.”

Alana sets the two bags on the table, remaining mindful of the expensive chess set in the middle of the table. She straightens and faces Lena with her hands behind her back. When she opens her mouth to speak, the office door opens again.

“Lena!” Kara smiles widely at her girlfriend. “Sorry, I’m running a little late. There was…” She notices they are not alone in the office. “Traffic… on the way here.”

Lena offers a small, genuine smile to Kara. “It’s quite alright, Kara.” She turns back to Alana. “Thank you, Alana. Make sure you take a lunch break yourself.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor.” Alana looks between the two woman before exiting the office.

“Sorry if I was interrupting something important.” Kara is still just inside of the door.

“No, Alana was just dropping off our lunch.” Lena gestures toward the couch as she goes to take a seat.

Kara joins her with a smile. “Is she new? I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”

Lena speaks as she unloads their food. “I just hired her last week. While Jess does admirable work, I’m afraid having just one executive assistant is not the wisest option at this point.” She hands Kara a box of food.

“Hey! This is my favorite!” Kara beams at Lena.

“I know.” Lena smiles with a quirk of her eyebrow.

“You’re the best.” She leans forward to place a quick kiss on Lena’s lips, giggling slightly when she pulls back.

“You probably say that to anyone that hands you food.”

“That’s not true.” Kara says around a mouthful of food. Lena only laughs and takes her own bite of food. “So how is your day going so far?”

“I am still making up several meetings I missed on Monday.” She gives Kara a knowing look.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault some alien leprechaun showed up.”

“Leprechaun? That’s a new one.” Kara laughs.

“I’m not his biggest fan.”

“I don’t think anyone is… well he seems like the kind of person to be his own biggest fan. Hopefully, if he comes back, he’ll go back to messing with my cousin.”

“Speaking of your cousin… where was he when Mxy was harassing you?”

Kara shrugs and swallows her food. “We didn’t know exactly what, but Mxy did something to Kal to keep him from interfering.”

“How meticulous of him.” Lena’s tone is dripping with dislike.

“Be lucky you missed out on the Supergirl versus Perry the Platypus fight. That thing smelled funny.” Kara stabs at her food with some aggression.

“Lucky me. Oh. That reminds me…” Lena’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “I had a visitor today.”

Kara quickly catches onto the playful tone. “Really? Whoever could it be?” Her tone is excessively curious, feigning that she does not know the answer.

“Supergirl.” Lena smirks. “She stopped by to chat. Of course, she has clearly taken the balcony door as her own personal entrance.”

“Well it more convenient for her, I’m sure.” Kara bites her lip to keep from grinning. “Can you imagine how your employees would react if she waltzed through the front entrance?”

“I do wonder… being the Girl of Steel and all… Would she set off the metal detectors?”

Kara shakes her head as she laughs and pushes up her glasses. “I don’t think she’s literally made of steel.”

“I suppose I could have asked.” She shifts closer to Kara on the couch, momentarily ignoring her food on the coffee table. “I’m sure she would have been more than willing to fill me in on her impressive biology.”

Swallowing heavily, Kara sets aside her own food. “And why do you think that?”

Lena smirks. “She may have attempted to take me from our lunch plans.”

“Really?” Kara’s tone mimics Lena’s playfulness.

“Oh, she was flirting quite heavily with me.”

Kara brings a hand to her chest in mock offense. “How dare she?”

“Don’t worry, Kara.” Lena places a hand on Kara’s thigh and leans closer to her. She doesn’t speak until their lips are inches apart. “I told her I was unavailable.” Kara parts her lips, but Lena moves out of her space before Kara can connect their lips. Lena chuckles at the pout forming on Kara’s face. “Your food is going to get cold, Kara.”

Kara clears her throat and turns her attention back to her food. “We both know that’s not a hard fix.”

“How could I forget?” Lena teases. “Your sister’s face last night was priceless.”

Laughing, Kara shrugs. “I guess I didn’t think about bringing up the whole ‘Lena knows I’m Supergirl’ thing when we talked. You and I had danced around it for so long, it’s now an adjustment to have it out in the open.”

“I must admit that I will miss teasing you.”

“What!” Kara nearly chokes on her food.

Lena laughs brightly. “That’s right. I have yet to tell you about one of my guilty pleasures.”

Kara groans. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

Leaning over, Lena places a kiss on Kara’s cheek. “Don’t worry. It’s not that embarrassing. Lois loved it actually.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Kara grumbles. Lena laughs again before grabbing Kara’s chin. She turns Kara’s head to face her and leans in for a slow kiss. Kara’s eyes flutter open when Lena pulls back. “Okay. That helps a little.”

Rolling her eyes playfully, Lena releases Kara’s chin. “Eat your lunch, Supergirl.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that's it for SBF. This story has had the highest hits and kudos of all of them so far! Thank y'all! The next three stories are all short ones. After that, some of your questions will start to be answered! 
> 
> I keep thinking about how amazing it would be to have some fan art made from something in this series. I've thought about drawing that dancing scene in the ballroom. I have this image in my head of Mxy looking all pleased with himself in the background. But if I go and do that, I'll never get any writing done... Ah, one can dream though.
> 
> What would be most fun for y'all to read? What special guests would you like to have? Anyone you think should become a regular? This "season" will end with these regulars: Kara, Lena, Alex, Maggie, Winn, James, and J'onn. Scheduled guests (that won't reveal any spoilers): Lucy Lane, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, M'gann M'orzz, Kate Kane, Barry Allen, Cat Grant, Jess, Agent Vasquez, Livewire, and Eliza Danvers. Feel free to comment any requests/prompts/ideas/questions/etc on here. You can also use "CatarinaElibeth" to find me on Twitter and Tumblr. I've started posting fun snippets on Tumblr.

**Author's Note:**

> Of all of the fan-made videos that have been out there, this is the only one that I have ever classified as truly beautiful. Excellent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX8OqDDn2eI


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